Trapped
by willowww
Summary: AU in which Clara and Missy have been captured by unknown telepathic beings who seek information about the Doctor. Ongoing chapter series.
1. chapter 1

Probably going to be a chapter story that will increase in word length. Let me know how you like it? - W

When Clara woke, she was not in the familiar bed she had fallen asleep in. She was not in her familiar home that she would recognise within seconds of awakening. She was in a strange room, chained to the wall by her hands and feet. The room was small, damp and dark, barely lit by light coming from the crack underneath the door. Clara tried to take in as much of the room as she could to avoid panicking and hopefully find a way out. That was when she spotted her. The person she would least like to be trapped in a room with.

"Missy." Clara breathed out, her voice hoarse. Missy's head hung forward, seemingly remaining unconscious, and she was chained up possibly a metre away from Clara. Dried blood clung to her forehead, and Clara wondered whether it was Missy's, or someone else's. "Missy!" She hissed once more, hoping to wake the time lady. "I heard you the first time." Missy replied, lifting her head slightly to look around. "Where are we?" Clara asked with a hint of panic in her voice that she hoped Missy would not pick up on. "Do I look like I have any idea?" Missy snapped. She began pulling at the iron clamps around her wrists, hoping she could pull them off. "Stop, you'll hurt your wrists." Clara said. She may not like the woman, but it didn't mean she was going to sit by and watch her hurt herself. "I'm fine, thank you." Missy replied, her words laced with sarcasm. She growled in frustration when nothing budged and stopped pulling. "Where is the Doctor?" Clara asked. Missy rolled her eyes, and while the room was too dark for Clara to see, the expression was practically audible. "Ask more questions. See where it gets you." Missy snapped. Clara decided it best to listen to her for the time being, and remained quiet.

"We're not on Earth." Missy said minutes later. Clara nodded. "Where, then?" She asked. "I thought I told you to stop with the questions?" Missy replied. "I want to know. And I want to get out of here. So I'll decide if I want to ask questions." Clara said. Missy chuckled. "Oh, you are feisty, aren't you?" She smirked. "Well, we're on a planet of beings capable of telepathy." Missy answered. "How do you know?" Clara asked incredulously. "Because I can sense them. I can hear them talking to one another." Missy replied, as if Clara was an idiot for not knowing. "How?" Clara asked. "Time lady, remember? Telepathy is part of the package." Missy replied. Clara was surprised at how little Missy snapped at her for the second question, and realised Missy may be thinking and therefore distracted. "Well, can't you talk to the Doctor then?" Clara said after a short silence fell between them. "I know your tiny human brain is unlikely to be able to comprehend the possibility of telepathy or the abilities of the timelords, but do try to keep up pet." Missy sighed dramatically. "Telepathy from one person to another does not stretch across the entire universe, my dear. He is either too far from me, or preoccupied." She answered. "Besides," Missy added. "Who said we need the Doctor to get out of this?" She smirked. Before Clara had a chance to question her, keys rattled in the door and the door swung open.


	2. chapter 2

Andddd chapter two. Chapters will be longer from here on. - W

"Who are you?" Clara demanded. Two figures stepped into the now lighter room, and Clara noted their lack of defining features. They were similar height and appearance to humans, however lacked any sort of gender defining features and wore harsh appearing masks on their faces, as well as strange looking body armour. Additionally, they were both quite unnaturally pale. They turned their heads to face Clara, yet made no efforts to reply. "Why are we here?" Clara questioned. Missy rolled her eyes. "Telepathic, my dear. Strictly telepathic. Talk to them till your face turns blue, and you still won't get a response." Missy explained. "Your primitive and ridiculously low intelligence human brain is incapable of transmitting telepathic messages." Clara ignored the insult. "But can I receive them?" She asked. Missy chuckled. "Anyone can. Through touch telepathy. Though I doubt you'll be getting that here, they don't seem extremely hospitable. Don't worry your tiny brain, I'll translate." Missy replied with a teasing tone. "Somehow, I don't trust you." Clara muttered. Missy ignored Clara and turned to the strange beings. _I don't really care who you are, or where I am, before you say._ Missy said telepathically to their captors. _Then what do you wish to know?_ The taller being replied with. _Why we are here._ Missy spoke. The beings looked to one another and back to Missy. _We_ _are not to say._ They replied in unison. Missy rolled her eyes. _I_ _have an exciting feeling that you have no idea who you are dealing with. In that case, I'll warn you once. Don't test me, or you'll end up dead. Got it?_ Missy threatened with a smile. She left out the fact that either way, she would likely kill them. _We know exactly who we are dealing with. Known consorts of the Doctor._ The smaller being replied. _I doubt you'll explain to me what the Doctor has to do with this. So, if you're not going to tell me anything, why are you in here with us?_ Missy said. _We need information. We are here to collect it._ They spoke in unison. "Missy, what's going on?" Clara asked frustratedly, only able to watch what seemed to be a long staring match. "No clue, pet. More fun that way sometimes." Missy replied a teasing smile. Clara frowned, and Missy sighed frustratedly, sensing Clara wouldn't stop asking her questions if she withheld what she knew. "Don't sulk, dear. It doesn't suit you. They said something about the Doctor, and information, if that makes you shut up." Missy explained. "What information?" Clara asked slightly nervously. _Information that does not concern you. We will retrieve it by force._ The beings spoke to Missy. _Oh, how fun. Not going to happen, though._ Missy responded with a laugh. The taller being stepped towards Missy and the smaller towards Clara, with their hands outstretched. _And what will you do to stop us?_ The taller being spoke, reaching for Missy's head. "Missy! What's happening? What's going on?" Clara asked, panicking and trying to pull out of her chains as the being approached her. "They're forcefully collecting information, it seems." Missy replied calmly. "How are you calm?" Clara snapped. She lifted her knees as high as she could and launched them into the being approaching her, who barely flinched at the impact.

 _Shut your mind, Clara. If they find information about the Doctor, it could be dangerous. Just shut your mind. Focus on my voice. My thoughts entering your head._ Missy spoke to Clara telepathically. Clara noted how Missy actually used her name, and seemed to carry a hint of worry in her thoughts as she spoke. As the being reached for Clara and Missy's heads, Clara did as she was told and listened solely to the thoughts sent to her by the time lady who tried to kill her not long ago. Once the cold, pale hands of the being in front of her reached her head, focusing on Missy's thoughts became difficult as the being began shifting through Clara's memories and thoughts as if they were files of paper in it's hands. _Listen to me. Don't give up. Don't be weak. Listen to m-_ Missy's transmissions to Clara stopped abruptly as the shifting of memories began in her mind as well, clearly causing her distress. "Missy?" Clara whispered, her eyes shut and her head aching. While weeks before, days before, hours before even, Clara would have detested the idea of relying on the time lady, she couldn't deny the fact that Missy was her only hope. Missy didn't reply, as the beings knew exactly how to silence those they wanted silenced. They sensed the danger and power in Missy and brought painful memories to the front of her mind to stop her from blocking the information they needed. Painful memories that Missy had locked in the back of her mind and tried, hoped and prayed to forget. For the telepathic beings, bringing them out of that tightly sealed place in her mind was child's play. Suddenly, it was as if Missy was a previous incarnation of herself on Gallifrey once more, being tortured relentlessly by the timelords, and Missy was no longer aware of her surroundings as she lived out the memory. Whilst her brilliant and dangerous nature was clear to those around her, so was the clear fact that the biggest danger to Missy would always be her own mind.

Clara opened her eyes as the cold hands left her head. She wished she could hear what they were saying as the two beings looked at each other, the other having dropped his hands from Missy's head as well. Clara turned her attention to Missy, whose eyes seemed to not be seeing what was happening in front of her, but something else entirely. "Alright, you've looked through our heads, now let us go." Clara snapped. The beings looked her up and down and nodded to each other. The smaller being approached her and removed the clamps holding her to the wall, however handcuffed her with the clamps as soon as she was let down. The taller being did the same to Missy, who seemed unresponsive. "Not exactly what I meant." Clara said, her words full of sarcasm that the beings obviously disregarded. They left, shutting the door behind them and sending the two women into darkness once more. Clara crawled closer to Missy. "Missy?" She whispered, wishing she could reach out and shake her back into reality. Missy stared at nothing, rarely blinking. She winced every now and then at something Clara presumed she could not see. "Missy, I need your help. I don't know how to get out of here." Clara asked. She felt a lump in throat as tears formed in her eyes that she quickly dismissed. "Please." She whispered. "Doctor, where are you?" She muttered.


	3. chapter 3

Thank you for your lovely reviews, favourites and follows :) Also thought I'd note - sorry if the layout of my stories are ever off, I can only write through the app and it's a bit crap sometimes. Let me know if you spot anything off, or have any advice layout wise! - W

Clara wasn't sure how long they had been sitting there in silence, since the beings left them handcuffed on the floor. She had given up on trying to communicate with Missy as it seemed there was no use. Missy was in an entirely different world in her head, one Clara could not penetrate. Missy had at first only seemed distracted and distressed, but in the time that passed in the darkness and silence, she had begun rocking back and forth very slightly. It was as if she was trying to comfort herself yet not show it. Clara wished she could help, but her own thoughts drifted to unhappy memories as the dark and silent room played on her basic human fears. Suddenly all she could think of was Danny. Her brave, brave Danny. That fateful phone call played on her mind as it had been resurfaced by the beings during their search, and now all she could hear was the sound of his phone hitting the ground on the other line. "Please say something." Clara whispered to Missy. The silence was too much to bear, although she wouldn't reveal that to Missy. After all, Missy had been the one who turned her beloved boyfriend into a cyberman. Knowing what Missy was capable of, she didn't want to reveal anything that the time lady could use against her. Although, Missy did not seem capable of very much at all in her current state. "I'm going to keep talking. I need to." Clara decided. She couldn't stand thinking of Danny's death any longer. "Maybe it'll help you too." She whispered to Missy, hoping she would at least listen.

"And then she found me, my mum did. I was so scared, but she found me. We had fish and chips." Clara finished the story she was telling and sighed. "Tough crowd, I guess." She joked rather miserably, after only silence met her story. She shuffled back and leaned against the wall. "I can tell you another, if you'd like." She spoke, as if Missy was engaging in the conversation. "It's not a very happy story. I just can't stop thinking about it." Clara said. "I'm a teacher, you see. That's my job. I teach at a place called Coal Hill School. I met this other teacher there, this wonderful man called Danny." Clara paused, imagining Missy's response - it would likely be something sarcastic or mocking. "At first, I thought he was sort of ridiculous. I had to ask him out for a drink twice. He taught maths." Clara smiled fondly at his memory. "I suppose you know exactly who he is, considering..." Clara said, her smile fading. "Well, you don't know much about him before all of that happened, so maybe you won't mind me telling you that." Missy murmured something quietly and Clara watched her twitch as if something was hurting her. "Did you say something?" Clara asked gently. "What happened?" Missy whispered hoarsely, not meeting Clara's eyes. Clara smiled slightly. So she was listening. "To Danny? He died. Well, I suppose you already know that too." Clara muttered, her heart aching as she said the words. Missy didn't speak, but Clara felt as if she was listening. "We were on the phone, and then he was just gone. A woman I didn't know was suddenly on his end of the line and telling me she was sorry..." Clara trailed off as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I went a bit mad, after. I was going to throw the TARDIS keys into a volcano. It wasn't real, though." Clara explained. "That's about when we met you, isn't it? Well, when I met you. The Doctor already knew you I guess." Clara shut her mouth as she realised she was rambling. She let out a trembling breath, and her eyes filled with tears. "I wish Danny was here." She whispered.

Meanwhile, inside Missy's head was her very own personal hell. The torture committed by her own race played in her mind as if it was happening to her physically, her arms and legs aching with bruises she subconsciously knew weren't there. In another part of her mind, two young timelords chased each other, giggling and shouting playfully to one another. Until one stopped running, and the other continued. _Keep running_ Missy willed the boy, _you can catch up._ Yet the boy remained standing in the field of red grass alone, and as the suns grew hotter and the years passed in the memory, the boy grew older. He changed his face many times as he grew, and Missy was filled with self hatred as he grew more insane, more evil and so much further from the little boy who giggled with his best friend. _You should have kept running_ Missy growled at the timelord. But suddenly the timelord was a little boy once more, only eight years old, and staring into the Untempered Schism. _Run away_ Missy whispered. _This will ruin you._ Her head began to ache as the four beat drumming she knew well entered her head once more. _Stop._ She muttered. _Stop!_

"Stop!" Missy yelled. Clara jumped in fright, having been interrupted while telling Missy another story. She opened her mouth to reply but could not think of how or what to say. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to-" Clara replied apologetically. Missy shook her head slightly. "Not. You." She muttered. Clara nodded. "Who, then?" She asked. Missy's whole body trembled and she curled in on herself as tightly as she could. "Missy?" Clara asked gently. Missy growled and suddenly began hitting her handcuffed wrists against the wall as hard as she could. "Missy, stop!" Clara cried, wishing she could grab her arms and stop her. Missy screamed in rage and fell back to lean against the wall. Her wrists were bruised and bloody, and the cuffs remained around her wrists tightly. Handcuffs universally felt the same around wrists, and Missy couldn't help but compare the feeling to the cuffs they placed on her on Gallifrey. She pulled at her wrists as hard as she could, yanking and pulling with all her might, before slamming her hands into the wall once more. Clara swore she heard a cracking of bones, and gasped. "Missy, please stop." She said gently, reverting to her teacher persona and treating Missy like a difficult student. "You're hurting yourself. Why don't you talk to me instead?" Missy fell back against the wall gasping for air, having used all of her energy. "Do you know the feeling of losing your mind?" Missy whispered into the darkness. "I... maybe. I felt that way when Danny... when Danny died." Clara replied softly. Missy nodded. "But not true insanity?" She asked, knowing the answer. "No, I don't think so." Clara answered. Missy nodded again, and did not speak for a while.

"Have you been scared since?" Missy asked, wondering why she cared. "Since when? Oh, since I got lost? Yes, definitely. Of being lost? No." Clara replied. Missy did not acknowledge Clara's reply, as she sunk back into her hellish mind.


	4. chapter 4

After what felt like several years (but was likely to be several hours), Clara had begun humming to pass the time. Generally, Clara knew Missy would not have allowed this and probably would have knocked her out, however at this point Missy was still rarely lucid. "How long have you known the Doctor?" Clara asked after finishing the song she was humming. Missy didn't acknowledge Clara's question. "I bet you've known him forever. Since you were kids, I know, but how many years is that?" Clara rambled, trying to bring Missy back to reality. "You're mates right? Best friends?" Clara paused as she considered another tactic. "I don't know much about the Doctor's past, you know. Maybe you could tell me. Did he have a family on Gallifrey?" She asked. Missy, who had been rocking back and forth against the wall, nodded slightly. Clara couldn't contain her smile at seeing Missy respond. Regardless of the things Missy did and the strange way she went about showing it, it was clear to Clara that Missy cared greatly about the Doctor. "Was it a big family? Lots of kids?" Clara asked. Not only was she trying to help Missy, but she was also interested in the Doctor's past. Missy shrugged slightly. "How was he as a kid? Nerdy?" Clara joked. Missy didn't reply. "Oh, please Missy. You can't stay stuck in that head forever." Clara sighed. Missy twitched slightly, but did not reply. Suddenly, Clara heard footsteps approaching the door.

"Missy, someone's coming." Clara whispered. Missy made no effort to move. The door was unlocked and swung open to reveal four beings. Clara cursed inwardly as she realised she had no way of understanding them without Missy. "Look, I can't hear you, but you've seen all we know. Just let us go." Clara said. The beings ignored her, and separated into two groups. Two approached Clara, and two approached Missy. Clara started opening her mouth to ask what they were doing, but gave up. _Its not like they'd reply anyway_ Clara thought. With one being on either side of Missy and of Clara, they lifted the women and carried them down the hall, with Clara kicking and thrashing the entire way and Missy remaining silent. The women were brought to a room where two vertical benches lay on an angle, where Clara presumed they were going to be strapped to. _Nice presumption, Captain Obvious_ Clara thought sarcastically as the beings strapped her and Missy to the benches. Both of her arms and legs were unable to move. This was when Missy began to stir.

"Missy?" Clara said. Missy's eyes seemed to focus - not completely, but enough to be aware - and she met eyes with Clara. "What's going on?" She asked with an unreadable expression. Clara wondered whether it was fear. "I don't know. I can't understand them." Clara replied. Missy nodded and turned her head to the beings standing nearby. _What are you doing?_ Missy asked telepathically. _Scans._ The being replied simply, as it looked down at a monitor. _What scans?_ Missy asked frustratedly, tired of captivity. The beings did not reply, and instead waved a device over Missy's body, another group doing the same to Clara. _I'll kill you. When I get out of these restraints I will kill you. I will kill you so slowly you'll feel every second of excruciating pain until your dying breath, and then just as you are about to die, I'll let you get healthy and then kill you again. Over and over again. Each time more painful than the last._ Missy snarled. The beings chuckled. _You are not too different from the Doctor then, unlike what you may think._ They replied. Missy frowned slightly. _That's what this is about, isn't it? Revenge on the Doctor?_ Missy said. The beings ignored her and read the readings from the scan. "What is it?" Clara asked, sick of being left out of the loop. "I don't know yet." Missy replied. _A time lord and a human._ One of the beings noted, looking up from the monitor. Missy frowned in false offence. _Time lady, you big ugly telepath. And surely you saw that when you... invaded my mind._ Missy snapped. She shuddered as the memories resurfaced and threatened to break her confident facade. _Not now,_ she whispered inside her mind, begging her memories to stay where she tucked them. _Please, not now._ A being approached her side and examined her hands. _You have broken your wrists._ It stated. Missy nodded to hide her shock. She couldn't remember doing that, or feeling it. Her wrists suddenly began aching terribly. _Sleep now._ The being spoke, holding a needle up to demonstrate its intent. Clara began struggling against the restraints and yelling. Missy almost could have laughed at the fact that out of this entire situation, Clara was the most scared when there was the threat of needles. "Calm down, pet, hush." Missy said. Clara ignored her, trying to pull away from the beings as much as she could but her restraints not allowing her to go far. Eventually the beings next to her held her down and Clara whimpered. "Please don't." Clara whispered. Suddenly, just as the needle entered her skin, Clara could hear humming in hear head. The song that she had been humming earlier was being hummed to her via telepathy. _Is that you Missy?_ Clara thought as hard as she could, trying to transmit a thought to the time lady. It seemed to be no use and there was no reply, yet the humming continued, calming Clara as the solution inside the needle sent her to sleep.


	5. chapter 5

Opening her eyes took more effort than it usually did. Clara supposed that the solution injected into her may not yet have worn off completely. She looked around and realised they were back in the dark room they began in. "Danny?" She whispered as a blurry figure approached her. Her eyes came into focus and she blushed embarrassedly, her heart aching. Of course it wasn't Danny. The figure crouched down in front of her. "Back in the land of the living?" The figure spoke. Clara smiled slightly. "You seem better, Missy." She replied. Missy shrugged slightly. She reached over and began fiddling with Clara's handcuffs. Clara gasped, noticing Missy's wrists free of handcuffs, and a small key in her hand. "How did you get a key to the handcuffs?" She exclaimed. Missy smirked. "You forget who you're talking to, pet." She replied. Clara's handcuffs clicked and fell to the floor. "Ta da!" Missy whispered with a grin. She winked, trying to cover a wince as her wrists screamed in pain. "Are you in pain?" Clara asked. "Nothing to worry about, dear. Now, door. I don't have a key. I suggest we wait until they come back-" Missy began, trying to change the subject. Clara frowned. "Missy, I saw you wince." She interrupted. Missy rolled her eyes and waved her wrists in front of Clara's face. Clara gasped, noticing the dark purple bruising and swelling surrounding them. "Don't remember doing it. They must have done it." Missy said, brushing it off. However, both of them had by this point recalled Missy throwing her wrists against the wall earlier, and knew that that was likely the cause. "Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," Missy paused, raising an eyebrow at Clara. "I suggest next time they come in, you leave them to me." Clara noticed the glint in Missy's eyes and shook her head. "No. No, no no. We are not killing them, Missy." She replied. Missy rolled her eyes. "You are no fun. And what do you suggest? Bargain with them? Pray the Doctor will come?" She said sarcastically. Clara held up her hand to shush the time lady. "Someone's coming!" She hissed. Missy nodded and stepped behind the door with a smirk. "Stay there dear. You look great as bait." She whispered. Before Clara had a chance to react, the door swung open.

 _What... what is the meaning of this?_ The being spoke to Missy, sensing her mind nearby but not seeing her. It noticed Clara's lack of handcuffs, and began to approach her. "Missy!" Clara hissed as the being became worryingly close. Suddenly, Missy appeared behind the being, holding a strange looking weapon that had previously been attached to the being's hip. _I'm going to kill you_ Missy said almost in a sing song. Just before the being had a chance to turn around, Missy hesitated slightly and flicked a switch on the weapon, before firing a shot and sending the being flying to the floor. "Missy! I told you not to kill him!" Clara gasped. "I don't answer to you, Clara." Missy sneered. She turned away and began fiddling with the weapon. "But he isn't dead. Unconscious." She said quietly. Clara raised her eyebrows in shock, but said nothing. "The door is still open. Come if you want." Missy said, sneaking out into the corridor. Clara nodded and followed.

After what felt like hours but was likely only minutes, Clara stopped walking. "Missy, I think we're going in circles." She sighed. Missy nodded and examined their surroundings. "We're underground. These are... tunnels." Missy replied, running her finger along the wall. It didn't appear as if they were underground as the walls were decorated to appear otherwise, but at closer inspection one could notice the crumbling walls and roots coming out of the ceiling. "I've never been good with direction." Clara admitted. Missy snorted. "Believe me, I know, pet." Clara ignored her attempt at an insult. "How come nobody's around?" She asked. Missy turned to her with a smile. "Now you're asking the right questions." She replied. She shut her eyes, listening out for any beings nearby. "I should be able to hear someone." Missy whispered. "And you can't?" Clara replied. Missy shook her head. "Maybe they're just a bit far away?" Clara suggested. Missy rolled her eyes. "I think you'll find that I can reach further than a few metres, thank you. I should be able to hear hundreds of people if I try to on this planet. They're all telepaths. It's the only way they communicate." She explained. Clara nodded, and frowned as she noticed a glimmer of something under the crumbling wall nearby. She picked at the wall, and a large portion came off in a chunk, revealing a growing grid pattern underneath. Missy's eyes widened. "Oh... how did I not see?" She frowned. Self doubt filled her as she realised that yet again, she had missed the obvious. "What?" Clara asked, nervously. Missy turned to face Clara with an angry expression. "We're not real. This isn't real. We're dreaming." She explained. "How... how long have we been dreaming?" Clara asked. "I'd imagine since we were sent to sleep on those benches, probably. We never escaped." Missy said. The walls and floor began to unfold around them, leaving them in a empty gridded plane. "See you soon." Missy sighed, before fading away. Clara shut her eyes tightly as her body faded as well and she felt herself waking up.


	6. chapter 6

"You can catch up Koschei, keep running!" Two boys ran through a field of red grass. One slowed and fell to his knees. "I can't catch up. I'm not as fast as you, Theta." He called. Theta couldn't seem to hear him, and kept running. _Keep running. You could still catch up. Koschei, keep running._ The boy looked up to the orange skies, searching for the voice. _You can. You can, just try._ The boy frowned. He looked ahead to where his friend had run and saw the small figure of his friend disappear over a hill. _You idiot. You could've caught up._ "Koschei." A voice whispered. It sounded like Theta. _Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up. You're not here._ "Missy. Missy, wake up." This voice did not sound like Theta. Missy's eyes snapped open.

Clara sat beside her with a worried expression. "Missy, are you okay?" Clara whispered. Missy looked away. "I'm fine." She muttered. "You... you were saying something. In your sleep. Who's Theta, Missy?" Clara asked carefully. Missy growled and lashed out at Clara, however found her hand unable to reach Clara. "They chained us to the walls. While we were sleeping, I think." Clara explained. She leaned back against the cold wall. "I only woke up a few minutes before you. What do you think that dream was for?" She spoke. She shuffled closer to the time lady. "Shut up." Missy spat. "Stop sulking." Clara snapped. "The Doctor isn't here. As you've made very clear, I'm not a timelord genius like you, so our escape is down to you. Get over yourself, Missy." She took a breath afterwards, and sighed. "Sorry." She whispered. Missy hid her shock. "Wow. The puppy can bite." She replied sarcastically. Neither of them spoke for another a long time, and Clara resorted to humming in her head. She knew not to test Missy's patience by humming out loud.

"Shut up." Missy whispered after a while. "I haven't said anything." Clara replied. "The humming. I can hear you." Clara nodded. She had forgotten Missy could hear inside her head. "But I thought I can't... what did you say? Transmit thoughts." She replied suspiciously. "That's right." Missy said, looking away. "You were looking in my head!" Clara exclaimed angrily. "I was not, calm down. You were humming particularly loudly and I happened to be listening out for thoughts. I'm trying to communicate with someone." Missy replied. Clara sighed. "I wish I could try, as well." She mumbled miserably. Missy turned to face her, her face full of frustration. "I wish that too, dear. That way maybe you'd stop nagging me." She snapped. "Maybe you could... I don't know, maybe you could show me." Clara replied, her reply fading towards the end of the sentence into a whisper as she worried about Missy's reply. Missy laughed. "Touch telepathy? For what? So you can hear my thoughts? No thank you." She cackled. "No, I thought... well, I'm still not clear on what's going on here. I thought maybe you could just show me exactly what they told you." Clara explained. To her surprise, Missy actually stopped and thought about it. She nodded. "Okay. But follow my instructions. That is my only warning." Missy said quietly. Clara smiled. "Thank you." She whispered.

Missy beckoned for Clara to lean towards her, and reached out and placed her hands on Clara's head. Suddenly Clara's mind felt fuller than ever before, and she was faced with many of her memories surrounding her _. I'm going to place the memories where you can see them._ Missy spoke telepathically. Clara nodded. "How will I be able to tell which are the ones you are showing me, and which are mine?" Clara spoke out loud. _Because mine will not be cluttered, unlike yours. Ahead of you. There's an open door. See?_ Missy said. A door opened in front of Clara as Missy spoke, and Clara stepped through it. Suddenly she seemed to be viewing conversations with the beings through Missy's eyes. "It's like... I'm you." Clara whispered in shock. She then noticed a door nearby and felt as if she had to look inside. She gently opened the door and began experiencing the dream Missy had been having earlier of the two boys running in a red field. Gallifrey, Clara guessed. "It's beautiful." She muttered. She felt considerably shorter than before, and looked ahead to see another boy. "Keep running, Koschei! You'll catch up!" He shouted. _Who is Koschei?_ Clara thought. Before she could reply to the boy, the door of the memory slammed shut and Clara found herself thrown back into reality, Missy's hands leaving her head.

"What was that?" Clara asked. Missy was staring at the floor with an unreadable expression. "Is that... was that Theta?" She asked. "If you ever do that again, I will kill you so slowly and painfully, you'll wish you were never born." Missy whispered in a scarily calm voice. Clara gulped. "I'm sorry, I just-" she began, but Missy held up a hand to silence her. "Don't." She growled. Clara nodded, and silence fell upon the two once more. Missy's heart was racing as she calmed herself down and tried to push the memories to the back of her mind as she had done earlier. _How did that memory get there?_ She thought. She was suddenly filled with the urge to scream. She had made too many foolish mistakes in the last 24 hours. "Are you okay?" Clara asked quietly. Missy opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. "It's okay to not be okay sometimes. Even for the big bad time lady." Clara said. Missy suddenly gasped as she had a realisation. "Oh! Oh! Clara, I know why we're here! I know what they're doing!" She exclaimed. Clara smiled. "I knew you'd click." Missy's eyes widened. "But if they succeed... it will not be good, let's just say." Missy said seriously. "It's been staring us in the face all along! They're a telepathic species. A solely telepathic species. Without speech, they can't communicate with lesser species like humans!" Missy explained. Clara ignored the fact that Missy labelled humans as a lesser species. "If they were to conquer Earth, nobody would understand them!" Missy said. "But why does that matter? Why not just do it anyway? It's happened in the past." Clara replied. "They failed, Clara. They always failed. But those who came the closest to succeeding were those who had the power of speech, and a brilliant mind! Present company included." Missy paused and winked to Clara. "So that's why they need us? But why would they need me? You know English, and many more languages than me." Clara asked confusedly. Missy frowned. "I think... we aren't what they need. It's more likely that we're leverage." She said. "What makes the Doctor's knowledge so different from yours?" Clara asked. "I'm not sure yet. Maybe... maybe they think he's the only one who will help. Or can help." Missy replied. Clara smiled slightly. So the Doctor was coming.


	7. chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews, favourites and follows, guys. The Doctor is finally in this chapter! - W

After dropping Clara off on Earth and Missy having disappeared along the way, the Doctor found himself alone. At first he had the urge to find Missy and make sure she wasn't wreaking havoc, but he knew full well that if Missy wanted to disappear, she would be very hard to find. He began his search through a scan through the TARDIS, but knew it would likely take several days to find her. Therefore, the Doctor found himself unoccupied.

At first, he stopped off at a planet nearby to the Earth who had been having trouble with the local plant life. Due to high levels of radiation on the planet, the eco-system rose up as a new mutated sub-species and waged war on the species living in the planet. The Doctor spent a day there levelling the planet radiation and subduing plants, before he returned to his TARDIS. He checked the ongoing Missy scan, and when it returned no results, he took the TARDIS to another random destination.

The TARDIS had been acting strangely after the first trip, the Doctor noticed. He assumed that the radiation of the planet had gotten to his TARDIS and affected it, and decided to see if it continued or returned to normal after time. He found himself on Earth in Australia, 1916, the middle of World War One. After the military got over the shock of a blue Police box materialising in their base, they locked him away while they attempted to test on the TARDIS. After convincing them of his "British" nationality with his psychic paper, and assuring them that the TARDIS was simply a new piece of British equipment that the military had asked him to test, the Australian military decided to let him go. The Doctor made a mental note to watch out for military bases in his next mid-war trip, and returned to the TARDIS.

The TARDIS, still acting strangely upon his return, was beginning to worry him. "What is it, old girl?" He asked, stroking the TARDIS console. He checked the Missy scan and found a slight blip on the radar, but couldn't lock on to the coordinates. The scan wasn't yet complete. He turned to the monitor, to check the TARDIS' status. Everything seemed to be fine. Still, the Doctor sensed something was wrong, so he decided to return to Earth and collect Clara.

He opened the doors of the TARDIS and stepped out into Clara's home. "Clara! I'm back!" He called. When silence met his call, he frowned. Clara was always here at this time. He stepped back into the TARDIS and travelled forward two hours, before stepping back out into Clara's home. "Clara?" He shouted. "Something is not right." He muttered to himself, returning to the TARDIS. As he entered, the TARDIS whirred and beeped. "The scan!" He grinned, running to the ongoing Missy scan he had been waiting for. "There we go. Gotcha." He said, locking the TARDIS on to the coordinates. Just as he was about to pull the last lever that would send the TARDIS through time and space, a message came up on the monitor of the TARDIS. He frowned as he read the message, and pulled the last lever. "We have your companions. You have no choice. Follow the coordinates provided" was spelled out on the monitor, followed by a set of coordinates. The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I could've just waited for their message." He mumbled, noting that both Missy's scan coordinates and the coordinates provided by the unknown kidnappers were the same.

As the TARDIS materialised on the planet, the Doctor check the outside cameras to make sure it was safe. The TARDIS seemed to be in a small empty room. Noting that there was no one outside, the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and into the unknown. He sensed the abundance of nearby telepathic minds and searched through them, seeing if he could find Missy's. "There's too many." He muttered. _Missy?_ He projected to her. He smiled as he sensed her mind nearby, reacting to his call of her name. She did not reply, however, which the Doctor found worrying and odd. _I'm coming for you both._ He said telepathically, before venturing off into the corridors.

Missy jumped when she heard the Doctor's voice enter her head. She had begun tapping the four beat drum rhythym that haunted her, and felt as if she couldn't escape the sound. The silence and darkness made it worse, as did being left alone with only her memories. In the last hour the beings had done another rifle through both Missy and Clara's brains, resurfacing memories that had long been forgotten. Both Clara and Missy sat in silence afterwards, both trapped in their own personal hells once more. "He's here." Missy mumbled. She was surprised that she even managed to get the words out to Clara, as her thoughts raced and her memories attacked her. Clara's head shot up. "The Doctor?" She exclaimed with a smile. Missy nodded slightly, although it seemed to Clara to be more like a twitch. Clara leaned back against the wall. "We're going to get out, then." She said. When she didn't receive the typical sarcastic and pessimistic reply Missy generally gave to Clara's remarks, she turned to face the time lady. Missy had brought her knees up to her chin and was cradling them as if she was trying to make herself as small as humanly possible. "Missy, are you alright?" Clara asked gently. Missy's head snapped to look at her with manic eyes, searching for something that no one else could see. Clara worriedly reached out to Missy, but Missy seemed to growl and moved further away. The drums in her head had grown louder than they had been in a long time, and Clara could see Missy visibly becoming more and more agitated, as well as dangerous.

"Missy?" She whispered, trying to bring her back to reality. Missy brought her head into her hands and began rocking back and forth. Clara noticed the crescent shaped indents in Missy's palms that were forming and beginning to bleed due to her nails and tightly gripped hands. While Clara felt she should intervene, she knew that doing so would be unsuccessful and that Missy would not appreciate it, so she decided to wait for the Doctor. _He'll know what to do._ Clara thought, watching Missy worryingly. "Theta?" Missy whispered, seemingly to Clara. "No... no I'm Clara." Clara replied, unsure of what else to do. Missy frowned sadly, and pushed herself back against the wall. Clara sighed, and prayed the Doctor would not be long.


	8. chapter 8

As soon as the Doctor had entered the corridors, he found himself surrounded by the telepathic beings. _You are the Doctor. You will follow us._ One spoke. It beckoned for the Doctor to follow, and he did. _Clara and Missy. Where are they, and are they safe?_ The Doctor demanded. The being held up a hand to quiet him. _The elder will explain._ It said simply, before opening a door. The Doctor found himself being pushed through it towards a being sitting on a throne of sorts.

 _Welcome, Doctor._ The being spoke. _The elder, I presume?_ The Doctor replied. The being nodded. _Your companions are safe._ The elder said. _We have only run scans on them, and checked their memories for information._ The Doctor frowned. _That's an uncomfortable process, especially for those with many bad memories._ He said, mostly considering Missy and her unstable mind. The being shrugged. _It does not matter._ It said. _It does matter. If I find that..._ the Doctor began, only to be interrupted. _You will what, Doctor? We have your companions trapped. We now have your TARDIS trapped. You must do as we say or either will be harmed._ The being said. The Doctor held his anger in, knowing it would not be helpful in this moment. _We have not physically harmed either of them. But we will not hesitate, if you do not comply._ The being said coolly. _What do you want from me?_ The Doctor asked. _Voice. Speech. We want the language abilities of the timelords._ The being explained. _Why? And why haven't you taken it from Missy, then? Why need me?_ The Doctor replied. His eyes widened in realisation. _You don't know how. You need me to show you how to take it from a timelord's mind._ He said. The being did not reply, clearly embarrassed. _But you can't! Without it, a timelord won't be able to communicate!_ The Doctor said frustratedly. The being shrugged once more. _We do not care. Give us the abilities. We do not care who from, as long as it is timelord as they contain the most languages. If you do not do it, one of your companions will die._ It said. _Why do you need it so badly?_ The Doctor asked. _None of your concern. You will be placed in a cell for the time being, until you decide to help._ The being spoke, before gesturing to another being to take the Doctor away.

Clara had gotten to the point where she felt as if she was baby sitting Missy. She didn't mind, necessarily, she just worried she wasn't doing a very good job. She turned to face the time lady, who had not moved in far too long. "Do you like music?" She asked. She knew she sounded stupid, but she wanted to keep Missy talking. "I reckon you do. I do. I don't play any instruments, and I definitely don't sing, but I like listening to music." Clara ranted. "My mum loved music. Always played it for me when I was younger. Maybe that's what got me into it." Clara explained, smiling as she remembered her mother. Missy made no effort to respond, and Clara sighed. Story telling had worked earlier. She tried to picture Missy playing an instrument, but somehow it seemed ridiculous. She doubted Missy had the attention span or concentration. She stifled a laugh as she pictured Missy playing the violin, and chucking it away when she was done.

"Thete?" Missy suddenly whispered. "Where... where are you?" She shut her eyes. "Missy, what is it?" Clara asked gently. She assumed that Missy was seeing things once more. "He's here. He's... nearby." Missy muttered, her eyes still tightly shut. "Who? The Doctor?" Clara asked. Missy nodded sharply. "He's nearby? Can you talk to him?" Clara asked excitedly. Missy held up a hand to silence her, and nodded slightly. _Where are you?_ She spoke to the Doctor. _Nearby. In a cell of sorts, it seems._ He replied. He sensed something was off with Missy, but he pushed it aside for the time being. _So are we._ Missy replied. _Chained up._ She added. _Are you hurt?_ The Doctor asked. Missy hesitated, and the Doctor sensed it. _No._ She replied. _Missy..._ he replied, knowing she was lying. Missy didn't reply. _Missy, please... are you hurt? Is Clara hurt?_ He tried again. _Clara is not hurt. I am fine._ Missy replied sharply. _Are you really?_ The Doctor asked. Missy ignored him, and he was met with silence.

"Is he coming?" Clara asked. Missy shook her head, and Clara's heart sunk. "Well... we can't wait around for him, can we?" She decided. Missy returned to her mind, ignoring Clara. Clara huffed, and turned away. "If you're not going to help, I'll do it myself." Clara said frustratedly, and began pulling at the cuffs around her wrists. She tried to slip her hands through them, but found herself unable to. She turned to face the wall behind her, and examined it. It was mostly smooth rock, except for a single sharp protrusion. However, it was quite far from Clara and she was unsure if she could reach it. Pulling on her chains, she found herself only centimetres away from it when her chain could pull no further. She groaned in frustration. With one last yank of the chains, she threw her hands forward and hit one of the cuffs on the sharp rock. She gasped in surprise as she found herself able to reach on one arm, but not the other, due to where the chains where chained to. She examined the cuff and found it slightly damaged, and grinned. "I'm going to get us out Missy!" She whispered excitedly.


	9. chapter 9

After several attempts at hitting the cuff on the sharp rock, the cuff snapped and fell off Clara's wrist. "Missy! I did it! I got one off!" She exclaimed happily. Missy did not reply. "Now to just get the other one off, and yours." Clara said, trying to figure out how to do the others if no other wrists could reach the sharp rock. She examined the cuff still remaining on her wrist. There was no way she could pull it off herself. Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching the door, and she had an idea. "Missy, listen to me. I have one free hand, and I want to steal their key to the cuffs. They'll have one on the key chain attached to it's hip. I just don't know how to distract him. Can you do that for me? Please? Just distract him." She whispered to Missy. Missy frowned at the floor and didn't reply. Clara sighed. So much for the escape plan. The footsteps came closer and Clara could hear keys jangling as the being attempted to unlock the door.

Just as it unlocked the door, Missy screamed. She was leaning back against the wall with her face scrunched up in pain, and Clara wondering whether this was real or her distraction. Either way, the distraction worked, as the being approached Missy in confusion and curiosity. If Missy had been right earlier, which it was very likely she was, the beings needed them alive as leverage. Therefore, the being was forced to check on Missy as she screamed and writhed in the corner. As he did so, Clara reached out slowly, spotting the small key that the beings used to lock the cuffs earlier on. Just as the being reached forward to touch Missy's head to examine her, Clara plucked the key off the chain as silently as she could. The being didn't seem notice, too preoccupied with Missy. Clara, unsure of where to hide the key, placed it in her mouth. She hid her wrist behind her back so that the being wouldn't notice her free hand. Missy had quieted down, and the being decided she was better, so it left. "Good job, Missy! That was perfect! And I got it!" Clara exclaimed excitedly, pulling the key out of her mouth. When Missy didn't respond, Clara frowned in worry. Had that been a distraction, or a real response to something in her mind?

Clara unlocked the cuff on her wrist using her free hand, and then turned to Missy. Finally she was free from the chains and could reach Missy. "I'm just going to unlock the cuffs, Missy." She said gently, taking Missy's hand. Missy twitched as Clara touched her hand, but didn't pull away. After she was freed from the cuffs, she seemed a bit calmer. "We can get out now, but we need to find the Doctor. Can you find him?" Clara asked. She was definitely beginning to feel like she was teaching with a difficult student with Missy, something she never would have guessed would happen. Missy nodded slightly, but her gaze fell to the floor. She felt as if she couldn't walk, as if the torture she experienced in the past was physically affecting her. She also had no idea how to tell Clara that. Thankfully, Clara was smart. "Can you... can you walk?" Clara asked, sensing Missy's hesitation. She had a feeling that whatever Missy had been experiencing in her mind was greatly unpleasant and possibly felt very real, maybe even real enough to cause physical pain. Missy didn't reply, and Clara knew to take that as a yes. "I can help you. Arm around my shoulder, yeah?" She said gently, reaching out and holding Missy's waist. Clara chuckled internally. She never would have predicted helping Missy, let alone touching her, several days ago. Especially after Danny. Missy hesitantly placed her arm around Clara's shoulder and nodded. "He's near." She whispered.

The two snuck through the corridor, just as they had in their dreamed escape, although this time did not find themselves horribly lost as Missy could sense the Doctor. She directed them around several bends to a door similar to the one that they had been trapped behind, where they came to a halt. "He was here recently." Missy whispered, exhausted. Clara was exhausted as well from holding the time lady up, and the two remained in silence for several minutes as they decided how to get into the cell. Footsteps began approaching, however, and Clara panicked. They had not come this far only to be trapped once more. She looked around and spotted a pile of boxes nearby. "Over here, Missy." She whispered. The two dived behind the boxes, where they waited until the beings passed. "Now, how do we get the Doctor out?" Clara wondered aloud. "No need." A voice came from nearby. Clara turned and grinned. "Doctor!" She said excitedly, rushing to hug him. The Doctor awkwardly withstood the hug, his arms not knowing where to go. "Hey, Clara. Sorry I took so long." He replied. Clara shook her head. "It's alright. We figured it out ourselves, eventually." She smiled. "How are you?" He asked. "Fine, Doctor, just tired. It's Missy though... something's wrong with her." Clara replied worriedly. She ignored the voice in her head questioning why she worried about Missy.

The Doctor bent down beside Missy, who stared at the ground. "Missy?" He whispered. He frowned as he noticed her clearly broken wrists. "Oh... how did this happen?" The Doctor asked Clara. "She did it. I think she was trying to get the handcuffs off." Clara replied. "Missy..." the Doctor tried once more. She didn't reply. "Koschei?" He whispered, trying a different technique. Missy's head snapped up and her eyes met the Doctor. "Theta." she whispered, her voice hoarse. The Doctor nodded as he noticed the manic expression in her eyes. He now knew what was going on, and had predicted this would happen from the moment the beings said they had gone through her memories. Clara smiled slightly. So the Doctor was Theta. "Are you alright?" The Doctor asked gently, taking her hand softly. "Yes." Missy answered immediately. "Doctor, how did you get out?" Clara suddenly asked, realising that the Doctor had not come from the cell. Before the Doctor could reply, an alarm sounded. "I... might have lied to them a bit and escaped. That alarm is probably for me." He replied. The sound of running footsteps reached the three, and the Doctor met Clara's eyes. "What do we do?" She whispered urgently. "We find the TARDIS. Come on." He replied, pulling Missy up.

"Koschei, we need to go." He whispered. Missy seemed unsure. "You can walk." He said encouragingly. Missy nodded slowly, and the three began walking quickly towards where the Doctor left the TARDIS.


	10. chapter 10

By the time they reached the TARDIS, the three were being chased by a group of beings holding laser firing weapons. A shot was fired that either Missy, Clara or the Doctor only just missed every few seconds as they tried to get into the room. "Why isn't it opening?" Clara shouted over the sound of yelling and firing weapons. The Doctor didn't reply as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, trying to unlock the door as quickly as possible. Clara screamed as a shot barely missed her head and singed her hair slightly. "Doctor!" She said nervously, as the beings came closer and the shots became more accurate. The door clicked open and the three rushed inside, the Doctor slamming the door behind them. The TARDIS stood in front of them, and Clara had never been more happy to see it in her life as she ran inside.

"That was close." Clara muttered as she leaned against the railing of the TARDIS, regaining her breath. The Doctor ran straight to the console, pressing buttons and pulling levers to make the TARDIS leave the planet. Missy had sat down on the stairs as soon as they entered. Clara considered checking on her but thought against it, and approached the Doctor instead. "Is she okay?" Clara asked quietly, watching as Missy sat unmoving and unblinking. The Doctor sighed. "I'll explain it later on, alright? Right now I have to check on her." He replied. Clara nodded and left the Doctor to deal with Missy. "Hey, Kos." The Doctor said gently, sitting beside the timelady. She didn't look up to respond. _Koschei?_ He spoke telepathically. _Theta._ Missy replied. He sensed her pain and sighed. He didn't know what to say. _Is it... I don't know where I am._ Missy said softly. _On my TARDIS, with me and Clara. We're safe now._ The Doctor replied. _No... Gallifrey?_ Missy whispered. The Doctor shook his head. _No Gallifrey. No timelords. Just you and me, and Clara._ He said gently. He felt Missy relax.

"It was... it felt so real, Thete." Missy whispered aloud. She examined her legs, expecting to see injuries but finding none. "It wasn't real. Do they hurt?" The Doctor replied, gesturing to Missy's wrists. Missy shrugged. "Not the worst I've had before." She replied ominously. "You should sleep, Missy. You look exhausted." The Doctor said, placing a hand on her back. Missy jumped and flinched away slightly. "Sorry." She mumbled, feeling ashamed of her reaction. The Doctor shook his head. "No need. Come on. I'll show you to where you can sleep." He replied. He helped her up and led her down several corridors before coming to a bedroom. "Who's room is this?" Missy asked cautiously as she stepped inside. The room was undecorated and seemed fairly empty, save the bed. "Yours now. It was just empty before." The Doctor replied. "I'm sure the TARDIS would happily redecorate for you." He added, as she examined the dull surroundings. "Thank you." Missy whispered, a whisper so quiet it was almost silent. The Doctor hid his shock, as he had not heard Missy say thank you sincerely for a very long time. He nodded in reply. "You're welcome to find me if you need me, okay?" The Doctor smiled before leaving.

"She's never been necessarily... stable." The Doctor began, sitting beside Clara in the console room with a cup of tea. He took a deep breath. "When you're a child on Gallifrey, they take you from your family at the age of 8 for the Academy. There's this sort of... rip in time, called the Untempered Schism. A hole that shows raw time and space. That's the initiation. Being taken to the Untempered Schism." The Doctor explained. He took a sip of his tea, and Clara waiting to hear more of the story. "Some are inspired, some run away, and some go mad. I ran away. The Master went mad." The Doctor said, remembering his Academy years. Clara nodded. "And she's just always been that way, since then?" Clara asked. The Doctor nodded. "Essentially. Several other things have happened since that didn't help, but that's the root cause. Her mind is an uncomfortable and dangerous place for her. I'd imagine that she locks a lot of those memories away, and when they're brought to the front of her mind... well, you saw her." The Doctor explained. Clara felt for Missy, a strange thing to feel. She was torn between feeling sorry for the timelady and understanding why she did the things she had done, and feeling as if she shouldn't care due to the things she had done.

"I hope you made me tea, too." Missy voice sounded from across the room as she entered. The Doctor smiled, and stood to go make her one. "No, I'll do it, Doctor." Clara replied. The Doctor gave Clara a look of thanks, and Clara left. "Couldn't sleep." Missy mumbled as she sat beside the Doctor. The Doctor nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. "It?" Missy replied, feigning ignorance. "You know what I mean." He said gently. Missy nodded slowly and placed her head in her hands. "I don't know. I want to, but... I can't. And I also don't want to." Missy replied. She chuckled darkly. "Sorry." She muttered. The Doctor shook his head. "No need to apologise. We can wait until you're ready, if you want." He said. Missy nodded and opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Thankfully, Clara saved her from having to reply. "How many sugars, Missy?"


	11. chapter 11

The first night on the TARDIS had been rocky. The Doctor found himself worried about Missy for most of the night, and rightfully so as she continuously woke up in a sweat from a nightmare. He eventually just say beside her bed and held her hand, deciding that leaving the room was a waste of time. Clara had come in with a cup of tea for the Doctor and a sympathetic look for Missy. "You're amazing." The Doctor had smiled, taking the tea from his companion. Clara remained nearby for the rest of the night, delivering tea when she felt the Doctor needed it and requesting periodically that the Doctor rested. He did not rest, of course, and instead watched Missy for the entire night. It seemed the only way that she could sleep at all.

When Missy woke up, the Doctor and Clara sat nearby on the floor of her room with numerous cups of tea surrounding them. Her heart sunk as she noticed the black rings under their eyes and realised they stayed awake for her. She didn't know how to react, so she shut her eyes once more and pretended to continue sleeping. _I know you're awake._ The Doctor spoke telepathically eventually. _And you don't have to say anything. We know._ He added. Missy felt like sighing with relief. _Okay._ Missy replied, before opening her eyes and sitting up slowly. "Good morning." She said, Clara and the Doctor turning to face her. "Good morning, Missy." Clara replied with a smile. "I'll go wash these cups." she added, picking up all the nearby empty cups of tea. The Doctor protested but Clara held up her hand, giving him a smile to say she didn't mind.

"She's quite a smart little pet isn't she?" Missy said. The Doctor smiled. "Not going soft, huh Missy?" He joked. Missy scoffed and shook her head. Internally however, she was filled with self doubt. When had she started caring at all about Clara Oswald? "Any plans for the day, Doctor? Worlds to save?" Missy said sarcastically, avoiding having to deal with her confusing thoughts. "Not today. Today you two need to rest." The Doctor replied with a soft smile. Missy sighed. "That sounds dreadful."

The Doctor eventually convinced Missy to take it easy, and left her with a pile of books to read in the library while he did some TARDIS maintenance. Being Missy, however, the books were easy to read through quickly, and grew boring fast. After finishing the pile in a short amount of time, Missy found herself exploring the library. It was large and filled with hundreds and thousands of different books, each one seemingly from a different planet. She was so engrossed in her exploration that she almost didn't notice Clara enter the room. "More tea, pet? You're beginning to take up a barista job." Missy called without turning around. Clara blushed slightly. "I don't know what else to do." She admitted, holding two cups of tea. "I brought you one." She added, causing Missy to turn around. Missy nodded and took it from her, taking a sip. Surprisingly Clara had remembered her exact amount of sugars.

The two women found themselves in an awkward silence very quickly, and tried to fill it by drinking tea. "Can I ask you a question?" Clara eventually asked. "I have a feeling you will anyway." Missy replied. Clara rolled her eyes and then took a breath, as if preparing herself for Missy's response. "Did you... were you the one humming?" She asked quietly. Suddenly the floor seemed to become very interesting, and Missy noticed Clara refused to look up. "What humming, dear?" Missy replied, knowing exactly what Clara meant but putting off her response. "Well... like when there was that needle..." Clara paused, and stifled an involuntary shiver. "There was humming in my head. And it was the song I was humming earlier." Missy smirked. "Do you think it was me?" She asked. Clara nodded slowly. Missy shrugged. "Well then, that's all that matters, isn't it?" She said, before leaving. Clara smiled to herself. Missy hadn't denied it.

"You seem better today." The Doctor said as Missy watched him work on the console. Missy didn't reply, because she didn't know how. "You don't have to be, yet. I know it must have been-" He added. "I'm fine." Missy interrupted. The Doctor nodded, knowing when Missy wanted him to stop. "You didn't sleep well last night." He noted aloud. Missy refrained from snapping at him, although she wasn't sure why. "I didn't." She agreed. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked gently, turning away from the console to face her. Missy crouched down beside him to where he had been working on the console. "You've done this wrong. I'd do it better." She said, trying to change the subject. "Koschei." The Doctor said gently. Missy felt her eyes burn with tears at the use of that name and the memories of her nightmares resurfacing, and she was horrified as she felt a sole tear escape. She brushed it away urgently and stood up. "It's all that leaving the brakes on business. Wears her out." She said, her voice betraying her emotions as it cracked towards the end of her sentence. She turned away and furiously wiped at her eyes. She felt the Doctor take her hand softly. "You tell me when you're ready." He whispered. Missy nodded, but felt worry rising in her chest. _What if I'm never ready, Theta?_


	12. chapter 12

The Doctor found himself by Missy's side once more during the second night. She had begun the night sleeping well, so the Doctor had retired to the library to read. That was until Missy's screams rang out through the TARDIS, and both the Doctor and Clara found themselves running to her room. Missy lay writhing and screaming in her bed, and Clara felt as if she was intruding. She felt the Doctor's eyes on her as he held Missy's hand. "I know what you're going to say, and I'm not leaving." She said. The voice in her head berated her once more. _Remember Danny? Remember what she did? Remember all those people she killed?_ Clara ignored it and sat beside the Doctor. "I can look after her." The Doctor replied, worriedly watching Missy. "You can look after her, but who looks after you?" Clara smiled gently. The Doctor sighed and nodded.

"You know... sometimes I wonder whether I don't hate her enough." Clara whispered. The Doctor turned to face her with a confused expression, Missy having quieted down. "I mean, after all she's done, and Danny... I shouldn't care about her at all, but I do." Clara explained. The Doctor chuckled slightly. "That's just the way she is. She's always been hypnotic, in a sense. She makes you want to forgive her." The Doctor replied. Clara nodded. "I think maybe... maybe she doesn't hate me that much either." Clara added quietly. "When we were at that planet, there were a couple moments where I was really frightened." She explained, once she noticed the Doctor's confused expression. "Someone hummed to me in my mind, when I was scared. At first I thought I imagined it, but then I realised it was the same song I had been singing to myself earlier. I reckon she listened." The Doctor smiled. "She'd never admit it to your face." He chuckled. Clara grinned. "I know." She replied.

That morning, both the Doctor and Clara decided to leave Missy's room before she woke up, as to avoid her realising she had kept them awake once more. When Missy finally woke, she found the two in the kitchen eating breakfast. "Morning." She greeted, heading straight for the kettle. "Good morning, Missy." The Doctor replied. Clara was busy with a mouthful of cereal. "What do you teach?" Missy spoke up suddenly, after moments of the only sound being the heating kettle. Clara hid her shock at the question, as did the Doctor. "Um, English mostly." She replied. Missy nodded. "Did you always want to be a teacher?" She asked as she dipped a teabag in the cup of hot water. "Not really. I wanted to travel the world." Clara replied, smiling fondly as she remembered her treasured book. Missy nodded again. "You ended up doing that." She said, sitting at the table beside across from her. "I suppose I did. Not in the way I thought I would, though." Clara said, chuckling.

The Doctor watched the exchange interestedly. Missy wasn't generally one to care about other people's aspirations. He noticed the brooch pinned on her dress that he hadn't seen her wear for quite some time, and everything clicked into place. "Are you finished staring?" Missy said with a smirk. The Doctor blushed, and Clara hit his arm. "No, I wasn't... I was looking at your brooch." He said gently. "Oh, it's very pretty. Where did you get it?" Clara asked, unaware of the sudden change in mood. "It is, isn't it." Missy replied softly, taking it off to examine it. "The Doctor gave it to me, a very long time ago." She eventually finished. She pinned it back on her dress. "I didn't know you had good taste, Doctor!" Clara laughed.

It was an hour or so later when Missy and the Doctor were finally alone together. Missy was sitting on the stairs in front of the TARDIS doors, and the Doctor sat beside her. "That's what you dreamt about last night, isn't it?" The Doctor said, noticing Missy staring at the brooch once more. To his surprise, Missy nodded, apparently interested in discussing it. "I dreamt about her, if that's what you're asking." She replied softly. A tear rolled down her cheek and fell to the floor. "I wasn't there." She whispered. The Doctor took her hand and wiped a tear off her cheek. "You couldn't be. But you would've been, if you could." He said softly. Missy nodded slightly and took a deep breath, willing the tears to leave her. "Do you think about them often?" She asked the Doctor quietly. "Every day." He replied immediately.

Clara had entered the console room a while later, finding she could no longer pretend to entertain herself in the TARDIS library. She decided to search for the Doctor by heading straight to the console room, and found she did not have to look far. "Aw." She whispered, not being able to stop herself as she noticed the two. Missy and the Doctor were sat beside each other asleep on the stairs, with Missy's head leaning on to his shoulder and her brooch resting in her hand. She ran to a nearby cupboard and took the blanket she had so often used on cold nights, and draped it over the two. She realised neither had slept very well for the last couple of nights, and must be exhausted. A voice in her head reminded her that she too, hadn't slept very well for the last couple of nights, and that she should probably rest at some point, and so she decided to nap in her room. Just before she left, she placed a gentle kiss on the Doctor's forehead and smiled at the two one last time. _Missy would kill me if she knew I saw this._ She thought as she snapped a picture on her phone.


	13. chapter 13

Days passed, and the three became used to the routine they had created. Every morning they would wake up and eat breakfast together, and every night they would go to sleep - or so Missy thought. She still wasn't sleeping well, and the Doctor and Clara were finding themselves in her room every night, staying up and looking after her, until they left before she woke up in the mornings. As far as Missy knew, the first night had been a one off, and everything was fine.

That was, until she noticed a mug sitting on her floor half filled with cold tea. She had only just woken up and strongly doubted that she had made it herself and forgotten, thus leaving only two other culprits. Two people who had no reason to be in her room at night. Or at all.

"Morning Missy!" Clara beamed from behind her bowl of cereal as the time lady entered the kitchen. "I have a question for you both." Missy replied. She lifted the half filled mug up in front of her to show them. "Why would there be a half filled mug of tea on the floor of my room? And why would it be there in the morning, particularly?" She said with her playful seeming voice, however both the Doctor and Clara sensed the undertone of anger. They looked at one another in worry. "It's mine." Clara said quietly.

"What were you doing in my room last night, pet?" Missy asked, her voice beginning to take on a dangerous tone. Clara looked to the Doctor for help, and he sighed. "We were both there. You... haven't been sleeping well, and we were just trying to help." He replied. "How long have you been doing this for?" Missy said, gritting her teeth in frustration. The Doctor hesitated. "Every night." He said quietly, foreseeing her angry response. Missy simply smiled sweetly - a bad sign, the Doctor knew from experience - and placed the mug down. "Now, tell me. Would you prefer me to pull out your teeth first, or scratch out your eyes?" She asked, still smiling. "Missy, we were just trying to help. I'm sorry if you feel like we invaded your privacy." Clara said softly. "Invaded?!" Missy shouted suddenly. "You totally disregarded it!"

"We're sorry." Clara repeated, growing increasingly nervous as Missy grew more angry. Missy suddenly threw the mug across the room, the mug shattering at impact and splashing tea across the wall and nearby appliances. The TARDIS groaned slightly in complaint. "Missy, stop." The Doctor said, reaching out to touch her arm. "Don't touch me!" Missy screeched. She knocked a box of cutlery over and threw a plate in the direction of the Doctor's head, which thankfully he ducked from. Clara screamed as an entire shelf of plates and bowls was kicked over and came crashing to the floor. Missy paused and turned away from them as she felt her eyes betraying her and burning with tears. "Missy..." the Doctor said gently. Missy shook her head and stormed out.

The Doctor turned to face Clara, who looked up at him from the table with tears in her eyes. "We did the right thing." She said determinedly. The Doctor nodded. "I should go after her." He said, reaching out and patting Clara's arm. "Yeah." Clara replied, sighing as he left the room. "And I'm alone again." She muttered.

Once Missy stormed out she found her feet unable to stop moving, and continued walking. She was unsure of what made her the angriest - the invasion of privacy, or that they had seen her in that vulnerable state. And while she wished it was the first, she knew it was the latter. _Missy, where are you?_ The Doctor spoke to her telepathically. Missy frowned and ignored him. _I know you can hear me, Kos._ Missy sighed. When he used that name, she felt as if they were children again. _I don't know where I am._ She admitted, stopping and taking in her surroundings. She was in a corridor of the TARDIS that seemed unfamiliar. _Find me._ He replied gently.

Missy shut her eyes and attempted to sense the Doctor's location. Her mind felt cloudy, and she couldn't see where he was. _I can't._ She said. It was moments like these that amplified the drums - moments where silence and her unreliable mind were her only company. She sunk to her knees, her legs beginning to feel tired from walking and the feeling of invisible torture returning. _The TARDIS would've helped Clara if she was lost._ A voice in Missy's head spoke up. "I don't care." She whispered in reply. _You should. A TARDIS prefers a human over you, a timelady. You are an embarrassment to your kind._ "Good." Missy snapped, shutting her eyes and rubbing her head. _The Doctor isn't coming to find you._ Missy shook her head, ignoring the voice. _He would find Clara. "_ Shut up!" Missy shouted, her eyes flying open to see the Doctor standing in front of her.

Thankfully, he didn't question who she was speaking to. "We have chairs, you know." He said, gesturing to her position on the floor. "Yeah, you're very funny." She snapped. The Doctor smiled slightly and sat beside her. "Your TARDIS wasn't much help." Missy said, sneering slightly as she mentioned the TARDIS. "She doesn't like it when dishes are thrown at her." He replied. Missy rolled her eyes. "Where's the precious poppet?" She said sarcastically. "Clara." The Doctor corrected. "You need to apologise to her." He added. "Why should I be the one who apologises?" Missy scoffed. The Doctor raised an eyebrow, and Missy rolled her eyes once more.

"We were trying to help." The Doctor said. "I know." Missy replied quietly. "I just... it's so embarrassing." She admitted. The Doctor shook his head. "You shouldn't be embarrassed, Koschei." He replied. "Don't tell me what I should or shouldn't feel." Missy snapped. The Doctor held up his hands in surrender and stood up. "Come on. Let's go talk to Clara."


	14. chapter 14

While Clara understood that Missy was struggling as of lately, and that she needed a lot of support from the Doctor, she couldn't help but feel fairly ignored. After all, both she and Missy had been trapped on the planet, yet Missy was the only one receiving any sort of support.

Her subconscious didn't hesitate to remind her of this at every occasion possible, such as when Missy lost her temper in the kitchen. _He will go after her and leave you behind,_ it had said. Clara had told it that it was wrong, only to discover that was exactly what the Doctor did. Missy's teasing words from days before echoed around her head as they began to ring true: _you're beginning to take up the barista job._ It seemed to be Clara's only occupation on the TARDIS as of lately, as she had been seemingly replaced as companion.

"Clara!" The Doctor called from nearby, breaking her from her thoughts. He ran into the kitchen and found her sitting down, reading a book. "Yeah?" She replied, not bothering to look up from her book. "Missy's come to talk to you." He said, gesturing to the timelady who stood behind him with a look of displeasure. Clara looked up interestedly. "Why?" She asked. "Well, maybe I just want to chat." Missy said sarcastically, uncomfortable with what the Doctor had tasked her to do. Clara raised an eyebrow. "Alright, alright. I'm here to... apologise." Missy said, spitting out the last word as if it was poison in her mouth.

Clara looked to the Doctor in shock. "Really?" She asked hesitantly. The Doctor nodded. Missy sighed and mumbled something incoherent. "What did you say?" Clara asked. "I said I'm... sorry for... what I did." Missy muttered, as if the phrase physically harmed her to say. "Pardon?" Clara asked with a smile, milking the moment as much as she could. "Don't push it." Missy growled. Clara nodded and felt a burst of confidence, turning to the Doctor. "Your turn." She said.

"My turn for what?" He asked confusedly. "Apologise to me. Right now." Clara said determinedly. Missy cackled. "Oh, puppy, I did choose well!" She exclaimed. "What for?" The Doctor said with a frown. "For being a total arse, actually." Clara snapped. "For ignoring me completely over the last few days, and not once checking whether I was alright. For using me and then leaving me whenever you felt like it. I am not yours to use, and I am not your barista. I am also not her caretaker." She explained, gesturing to Missy at the end of her explanation. The Doctor's mouth hung open in shock. "Isn't life wonderful sometimes?" Missy grinned, watching the Doctor try and fail to string together a sentence. "I'm... sorry?" He replied, still seemingly confused. "Not good enough. Come and find me later when you've figured out how to be a decent person." Clara snapped, before storming out.

"Oh Doctor, kicked rather painfully off of your high horse! How does it feel?" Missy laughed gleefully, taking in his confused expression. The Doctor frowned. "But I wasn't... I didn't ignore her, did I?" He said. Missy shrugged. "That's what she said. I doubt she's lying." Missy replied. "I was just... I had to help you, though. I didn't have time." He explained. He realised his mistake as soon as he saw Missy's smile disappear. "Don't you dare treat me like a project to fix or use me as an excuse." She growled. She picked up a nearby knife. "I do not need your help, and you did not have to do anything. If I hear you say that again, I will cut out your eyes, alright?" She said, waving the knife in his face before stabbing it into the table and storming out. _Good job._ He thought to himself _. Make both of the women in your TARDIS angry with you._

Missy decided as she left the kitchen that she would go find Clara. Why she wanted to find Clara, she didn't know. Regardless, it was an easy feat, as Missy found her curled up on a chair in the library. "That was very impressive." Missy smirked. Clara smiled slightly. "I suppose." She replied quietly. "Don't be sad, poppet. I liked you much better when you were all fired up." Missy said surprisingly gently, sitting nearby Clara. "Why are you here?" Clara asked, noticing the Doctor was not with her as he had been most of the time lately. "Let's just say I had several things to say to him as well." Missy chuckled darkly.

Clara looked at her worriedly and Missy rolled her eyes. "I didn't hurt him, if that's what you were thinking." She added. Clara nodded. "But why are you here?" She asked. Missy frowned slightly. "I don't know." She admitted. Clara nodded again. "I was wondering... did you hear my stories? When we trapped on that planet." Clara asked quietly. Missy raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You were... out of it." Clara explained. "Ah." Missy nodded slowly. She shut her eyes and reached into her mind, searching for the memories. She smiled as she heard Clara's voice from days ago, happy to find the memory without having to search too deeply. "Yes, I did." She replied. Clara smiled slightly. "Did they help?" She asked. Missy paused to consider her reply, wondering whether she should be truthful or sarcastic. "Yes." She said quietly.


	15. chapter 15

That night, Clara slept well for the first time in several days. Missy didn't seem to wake up at all - and if she did, she was quiet - therefore leaving Clara to be able to finally relax. Although she wasn't sure what she would have done if Missy had begun screaming once more, as Missy had made it perfectly clear how she did not want them to see her in that state. It was the morning, however, that threw Clara.

As she opened her eyes, she noticed she could hear a discussion happening nearby and gradually approaching her. Clara looked down at her pyjamas and decided that of all things she wanted to wake up to, Missy laughing at her colourful sleepwear was not one of them. She leapt up and wrapped herself in a dressing gown quickly just as the door to her room opened.

"Polite people knock." Clara snapped as the Doctor and Missy entered her room fully dressed. "Are we going somewhere?" She questioned confusedly. "We are! You'll need to pop some clothes on though, pet." Missy grinned, clearly excited. "It's very early." Clara frowned. "I'm very aware. Missy wouldn't wait a second longer, however." The Doctor sighed. Clara suppressed a smile as she couldn't help but compare Missy to a 6 year old. "Where to, then?" Clara asked, picking up a hairbrush and hoping she could make her hair look decent. Missy's eyes lit up and she held a finger to her lips. "Surprise." She whispered with a manic smile. Clara felt worry bubbling in her chest at the thought of Missy organising their day. Missy laughed and left the room in somewhat of a skip.

"Is she... what's happening?" Clara asked. She felt as if the last 10 minutes had happened too fast for her to register. "Missy wanted to go out. I thought it'd probably be beneficial, considering we've been doing nothing these last few days." The Doctor replied. "Yeah, but... what's up with her?" Clara asked, clearly referencing Missy. "This is how she deals with things. She doesn't do the whole 'talking about your problems' thing, so she goes into this... manic state, I suppose." He explained. "Believe me, I've had experience with her like this before, and it's best to wear her out before she literally kills someone." He added. Clara smiled slightly.

The Doctor sighed. "I'm so sorry, Clara. I've been awful to you." He said. "Missy is my longest friend and she needs my support, but I forgot that you did too." He added. "I suppose that's an alright apology." Clara smiled. He welcomed her into a rare two-sided hug. "You're so important to me Clara. Don't forget that." He said quietly. Clara smiled and nodded into his chest.

"Oi! Hurry up! Planets to see, places to go, people to kill!" Missy yelled from the console. Clara and the Doctor joined her in the room. "No, no, no. No killing people." The Doctor replied sternly. Missy smirked. "If you say so dear." She replied. "So, do we actually get told where we're going?" Clara asked, leaning against the railing surrounding the main console. "Of course not! Surprises!" Missy replied with a laugh. Clara rolled her eyes with a small smile. She couldn't help but think how much she enjoyed Missy as an addition on the TARDIS - when she wasn't homicidal, or trying to kill Clara herself.

The Doctor frowned as Missy began pressing buttons, a frown that was audible enough for Missy to notice with her back to him. "Jealous dear? Not my fault I fly her better." Missy taunted. "That's not true." The Doctor replied, his frown deepening. "Really? Then how come the poor thing moans and groans every time she lands? Because you leave the brakes on." Missy said, cackling as the Doctor huffed in reply. She turned to face him with a pout. "Oh, don't be all angry Thete. It'll ruin our fun day!" She said. The Doctor hid his smile at her casual use of his old name. Missy sighed. "Alright! Alright. You can co-pilot. Only because I'm so excited for our day out." She said. The Doctor grinned and joined her at the console. Clara couldn't help but notice how wonderful of a sight it was, watching them fly the TARDIS together so masterfully.

"And we're here!" Missy grinned as the TARDIS landed in her secret location. Clara and the Doctor looked to each other and shared an expression of moderate concern. "Go on then! Check it out!" Missy said, gesturing to the door. The Doctor nodded and slowly opened the TARDIS doors. "Where are we?" Clara whispered in surprise. In front of them was a blank black plane. If she looked carefully, Clara could make out the roof and the floor, although she couldn't see the walls. "It's huge." She noted. "It is. It's also empty. Or is it?" Missy said with a slight smirk.

As she spoke, scenery unfolded around them. The floor became what appeared to be - felt like - sand, and several metres ahead of them appeared to be an ocean that approached the sand in waves. Clara turned and noticed a strip of familiar shops, one of which being a fish and chip shop. Wind blew past her and she couldn't believe that only a moment ago this beach had been an empty plane. "Missy..." Clara whispered, tears filling her eyes. "You did listen." The Doctor turned to Missy with a confused expression. "What is it?" He asked quietly. "A gift." Missy shrugged in reply. "It's a beach my mum used to take me to... thank you." Clara said, with happy tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why would you give me a gift?" She asked Missy. "Why not?" Missy shrugged once more. Clara realised what she meant, however, and smiled. This was Missy's apology - for more than one thing, it seemed.

"This is very kind of you." The Doctor said with a smile. Missy laughed embarrassedly, not used to the genuine thanks she was receiving. "It's a programmable dream plane, right?" The Doctor asked, sensing she wished for him to change subject. Missy nodded. The Doctor smiled and walked over to Clara, who was sitting in the sand nearby. "I have an idea." He whispered into her ear.

"What are you planning? I demand to know!" Missy said frustratedly as The Doctor pointed his sonic sunglasses at the sandy floor. Clara smiled. "Just wait, Missy." She said. Missy pouted like a child. "Done!" The Doctor grinned, jumping up from the floor. Suddenly the landscape began to change, the sand fading away and the ocean disappearing, replaced by a field of red grass. The roof changed from it's previous cloudy blue to a burnt orange sky. "What have you done?" Missy whispered. "It's Gallifrey." The Doctor replied gently. "But why... why would you..." she muttered, feeling her heart catch as uncomfortable memories began to flood her mind. "It's not done yet." He said, taking her hand gently. All of a sudden walls built up around them, the floor changed to a carpet.

"The academy!" Missy exclaimed. A smile grew on her face slowly. "We had fun in the academy. I thought maybe you'd like seeing it again." The Doctor said. Missy nodded. "It's... thank you." She said quietly. The Doctor nodded. Clara watched interestedly as Missy became practically silent, examining her surroundings in great detail. "Remember when we snuck out that night and we were caught?" The Doctor said. "How could I forget? You're the reason we got caught!" Missy laughed. "No I wasn't." The Doctor defended, trying but failing to hide his growing smile. "Yes you were." Missy said. She turned to Clara with a smirk. "He knocked over a priceless urn and shattered it completely." She explained. Clara laughed. "Of course he did." The Doctor tried to maintain a frown, but ended up joining them in their laughter.

"We should head back to the TARDIS." The Doctor eventually said, noting how tired Missy and Clara seemed. They nodded, and followed him back inside to the TARDIS, Missy taking one last smiling glance at the fake academy before shutting the doors. "That was great, Missy." Clara said thankfully. Missy nodded. "I am, aren't I?" She replied with a yawn. The Doctor rolled his eyes and began sending the TARDIS back to the spot in space they had been occupying before. Suddenly, the TARDIS shuddered and shifted. "You're doing it wrong, idiot." Missy snapped. "I'm not!" The Doctor replied defensively. The TARDIS lurched violently, throwing Missy from the railing to the floor.

"Kos! Are you alright?" The Doctor shouted. Before Missy could respond, the TARDIS began throwing itself back and forth as if to shake off an outside force. "Something's trying to control her!" The Doctor shouted as they were thrown around, desperately holding on to nearby railing or controls. Missy dragged herself up from the floor. "Hold on!" She shouted in warning as the TARDIS was dragged forcefully through time and space.


	16. chapter 16

Opening her eyes, Missy found herself staring up at the ceiling of the TARDIS. She blinked several times to focus her eyes, and realised it was likely that she had a mild concussion. She scrunched up her nose as she smelt smoke, and sat up, taking in her surroundings. "Where there's smoke, there's fire." She murmured, noticing the flames burning dangerously close by. She noticed a figure laying near her. "Clara?" She muttered. Clara didn't react. Missy rolled her over to face her, and noticed blood streaming gradually down the human's head. A large bruise was beginning to form on her head that blossomed from the side of her forehead to her eye. "Clara?" She whispered again. Clara did not make any sort of response, and Missy felt a worrying feeling enter her chest.

"Koschei?" The Doctor called from behind her. "Here, Theta." Missy replied. He ran over to her, dodging fire and smoke along the way. "Are you hurt? What's wrong with Clara?" He asked worriedly. "Concussed, maybe, but that's all. Clara seems to have hit her head rather hard." Missy replied. She winced as she moved her wrist in the wrong direction. She had almost forgotten about her broken wrists whilst dealing with Clara. _They're healing_ she noted, examining the faded bruising and greater range of motion they had.

"We have to get out of here. The TARDIS needs to cool down." The Doctor said. He bent down and scooped Clara into his arms. Missy nodded and lead the way to the TARDIS doors, slowly opening them. "No." She whispered. A wave of nausea came over her and she had to grasp the door frame to steady herself. The Doctor frowned at the sight in front of them. Red fields spanned in front of them, and the familiar citadel of their home planet sat on the horizon. "But it's impossible." He muttered. Missy fell to her knees, her legs becoming too shaky to remain standing. "We... we need..." She mumbled. "We need to go. I know." The Doctor agreed. He sighed. "The TARDIS isn't ready, though." He noted. "We can't stay." Missy said quietly, focusing on keeping her food within her stomach.

Over the horizon, the Doctor spotted a group of timelords approaching. "Missy, we need to get inside the TARDIS. Koschei, please." He said urgently. Missy nodded and moved to allow him to shut the door. The Doctor lay Clara down on chairs nearby. "What do we do?" Missy said quietly. The Doctor frowned. "I don't know." He replied. Missy screamed angrily and kicked the TARDIS console. "Stop, Missy. You'll hurt yourself." The Doctor said gently, reaching out to touch her. "Don't." Missy attempted to growl, however it came out sounding more like a vulnerable whimper.

Several minutes later, the Doctor was broken from his thoughts by a knock at the TARDIS door. He turned and met eyes with Missy as he felt a telepathic spike in fear come from her mind. "Stay back." He said quietly. "Come out, Doctor. We will only ask politely once." A voice came from outside. The Doctor hesitantly approached the doors, and took a deep breath before opening them. "You called?" He said sarcastically. Several time lords stood in front of him, some holding weapons. "You will come with us. And your companion, too." One spoke. "I don't have a companion." The Doctor replied. The timelord addressing him chuckled. "Do you think that lowly of us, Doctor? We sense another mind inside your TARDIS." He replied. The Doctor hid his surprise. Which one could they sense? How come they could not sense both Clara and Missy? "This has nothing to do with them." The Doctor said. A timelord wielding a weapon held it closer to the Doctor threateningly, and the Doctor held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, I'll just... fetch them." He replied.

The Doctor now faced a dilemma. Should he leave Clara or Missy safe in the TARDIS? Clara, who remained unconscious and injured, or Missy, who would be a jackpot for the timelords if they realised she was there? _Stop thinking so loud._ Missy spoke telepathically from nearby, coming into the console room. _I don't know what to do._ The Doctor admitted. _Take me._ Missy replied determinedly. _Are you-_ he began. "Take me." Missy interrupted aloud. The Doctor sighed, and nodded. He pulled out a notepad and pen from his pocket and scrawled an explanation note to Clara, before laying it next to her. "Let's go." The Doctor sighed.

"Oh, my! Rassilon will be pleased!" The leader of the group of timelords spoke, noticing Missy standing close by the Doctor. The Doctor gritted his teeth to stop himself from lashing out, sensing that it would not help Missy's stress levels. The timelord in charge gestures to two others, who placed cuffs around both the Doctor and Missy's wrists. Missy hid her wince at the cold metal squeezing her broken bones. "Follow us." The time lord stated, before marching towards the Citadel. The Doctor turned to Missy and saw her eyes growing glassy.

 _Koschei, we'll get out of here. I promise I'll get you and Clara out._ He spoke, his words brushing her mind as if he was physically holding her hand. _Stay strong, Kos._ Missy shut her eyes and nodded. _Okay._


	17. chapter 17

Hi all, thanks for reading :) Just thought I'd let you know that I'll be using "dwdwdw" as a break between sections now, for parts that need to be shown are clearly separate but not between every paragraph. Everything else I've tried (..., line breaks, etc) disappears once I save. Thank you! - W

By the time Clara woke, the smoke of the TARDIS had lessened and the fires had burnt out. The first thing she noticed was the silence, excepting the pained groaning of the TARDIS who desperately tried to repair herself. The second thing she noticed was the paper lying next to her ear, with the familiar messy scrawl of the Doctor's handwriting on it. She picked it up and sat up, touching her head as a wave of dizziness hit her. Her fingers came back bloody and her head ached from the contact. _What happened here? Where are the Doctor and Missy?_

dwdwdw

The walk to the Citadel had been long, but the Doctor had entertained Missy by telling her stories from his travels. Missy remained in a panicked state as the memories she feared so deeply insisted on being dealt with. As the Citadel grew closer, her fear grew in intensity. _I don't want... I don't want to be hurt again._ Missy whispered telepathically. _I know Kos._ The Doctor replied, his eyes softening at her rare show of vulnerability. Missy tried to ignore the fact that the Doctor did not promise to protect her from harm, likely as he knew he may not be able to keep the promise.

The group of timelords came to a stop as they approached the entry to the Citadel. The leader gestured to his supposed security guards, who approached Missy and the Doctor with their weapons raised. "Just for security purposes." The timelord said with a sly smile. Before the Doctor or Missy could question, they were both knocked out with the butt of a gun.

dwdwdw

It took Clara several minutes to focus her eyes and feel less dizzy before she could read the Doctor's note. As she read it, she felt her heart sink.

 **Clara,**

 **Before I explain anything, I need you to promise me that you will stay in the TARDIS. The TARDIS is the only place you will be safe.**

 **The TARDIS was hijacked by the Timelords, and taken to Gallifrey. I don't know why yet, or how. They don't know that you're in the TARDIS, and I intend on it staying that way. Don't try to find us.**

 **We'll come back for you. I promise.**

Clara sighed and placed her head in her hands. She knew that if the Doctor told her that the TARDIS was the safest place and that she should stay there, that she should obey. However she couldn't help but feel as if this was something the Doctor and Missy may not be able to get out of alone. _Before I do anything, I need to fix my head._ She thought, wincing as a wave of pain rushed through her head.

dwdwdw

Upon waking, Missy found she was unsure of how long she had been unconscious for. _Anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour_ Missy thought, taking in her surroundings. They seemed to be in a dimly lit cell, in some unknown building. The only light came from a barred window at the top of the back wall, which was too high up for Missy to look through. She turned to see the Doctor sitting next to her, and realised that they were both in cuffs. "Where are we?" She mumbled, noting that the walls were dirty and crumbling - as if this room had not been used in a long time. The Doctor to face her. "I was wondering when you'd wake up. I have no idea where we are, I suppose that was the point of knocking us out." The Doctor replied. Missy shivered, and the Doctor noticed but chose not to say anything. He knew that this whole situation was too close to home for her.

Missy's mind ran wild with memories that were being upturned. One that she could not shake was the image of a damaged and vulnerable former incarnation of herself, so thin and small that he sunk into his black hoodie like a child in their father's suit. He rocked back and forth in a cell, his ankle chained to the wall and his back bleeding profusely from the last round of torture. Not a sound was heard from outside the cell, a purposeful piece of architecture as the Timelords knew that the Master's worst enemy was both his own mind, and silence.

The cell Missy and the Doctor had been brought to was different to the cell the Master had been held in what felt like centuries ago, yet it still resurfaced memories as if they were one in the same. The Doctor continuously glanced at Missy in worry, wishing he could do something for her to calm her down. "I'm fine." Missy said eventually. She had planned on sounding strong however her voice came out in a waver. "You don't have to be." The Doctor replied. Missy shook her head, and the Doctor understood. _I don't see you as weak._ He spoke telepathically. _Quite the contrary, in fact._ The Doctor added once she didn't reply. Missy sighed. _Talk to me. Just keep talking._ She replied.

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It didn't take long for Clara to find the medbay, and once she arrived she spotted a med kit resting on a bench. "Perfect." She whispered, opening it up. Inside were bandages, human painkillers that she recognised and alien painkillers that she did not, and a few other bits and bobs that she decided seemed too dangerous to use.

She pulled out a bandage and some painkillers, and frowned as she looked in a nearby mirror. On top of the fact that the wounds on her head were worse than she thought, she began picturing the position the bandage would have to take on her forehead - an image that caused her to feel embarrassed simply from the thought. _And there goes my dignity._ She thought as she wrapped the long white bandage around her head.


	18. chapter 18

No Clara in this chapter. She'll be back next chapter! - W

Centuries ago, when the Doctor and the Master had been nothing but Theta Sigma and Koschei, a common past time for them had been to share each other's minds through a telepathic link. To any outsider or passerby, it would seem as if they were sitting in silence, however to Theta and Koschei their minds had become one.

It was something that not many timelords could do - not in the way that Theta and Koschei could. They had a special connection, and pairing that with Koschei's incredible talent for telepathy, could link minds like no others. It was something that briefly became frowned upon when they were children, as they used it to get up to mischief, however once they grew older and matured (well, only slightly), it was simply just there. Always happening, always a part of them both. A link that no one could remove.

Even as Koschei begun on the journey to becoming the Master and his mind became less of a haven and more of a war zone, the Doctor could still walk through it and calm him down. It was like nothing else. That was, until Koschei was no more and the Master took over his body as someone both completely insane and homicidal. The transition pushed the two best friends away from one another, and so the link was forgotten. Not gone, simply forgotten.

That was why when the Doctor felt Missy's mind merging with his own, he gasped in shock. "I thought..." he whispered. _Shh..._ Missy interrupted, her words brushing his mind. _Speak here._ She instructed. _I thought it was long gone._ The Doctor admitted. Missy shared a memory of their academy days, bringing it to front of their joint mind. _Not gone. Neglected._ Missy replied. The Doctor smiled. Telepathy had always been second nature to Missy, so much so that it likely hurt her to hold herself back from using it. _What do you dream about?_ Missy asked out of the blue. The Doctor chuckled. _What don't I dream about, Kos. Dreams, or nightmares?_ He replied. _I suppose I mean nightmares._ Missy clarified.

 _The Time War. People I've lost. That sort of thing._ The Doctor said hesitantly, unsure of how much to share. _No, Thete, you've forgotten how this works. Are you getting old?_ Missy teased, a shard of her usual perky self slipping through. _Show me._ She explained. The Doctor frowned slightly and looked into his mind, pulling out the nightmares he wished he could forget. Missy felt his hesitant radiate off him in waves and sighed. _It's only me, Theta. I'll... I can show you mine, too._ She whispered. As soon as she said it she regretted it, but knew she couldn't take it back. The Doctor sighed and agreed, showing her his nightmares in short clips as if they were a film.

Flashes of a destroyed, once beautiful Gallifrey hit Missy in full force. She pushed them away, deciding that was something she did not need nor want to see. A montage of sorts played out for her, clips of previous companions leaving him and people dying because of him. She felt his pain as River sacrificed herself for him, as Rose left him, as Donna forgot him. She felt his heart break as the clips extended to more companions and more innocent people dying in the name of the Doctor. A tear rolled down her cheek as the Doctor's emotions flowed through her. _You can stop now, love._ She said gently, and the memories cut off. The Doctor remained silent for a short while, his heart feeling heavy. _I'm... sorry._ Missy said. She felt the Doctor's confusion. _I shouldn't have asked you to do that. I was just interested._ She explained. _I didn't know you still knew how to say sorry._ The Doctor teased playfully, reassuring Missy that he didn't mind.

 _I suppose I should keep my side of the bargain._ Missy said softly. _Only if you want to._ The Doctor replied. He wasn't entirely sure whether her nightmares were even something he wanted to see. Missy hesitantly brought memories to mind, displaying the usual scenes of continuous and endless torture, the boys running through red fields of grass, however one more slipped through. A small young girl playing with a toy and giggling, followed by a small young girl's broken body lying across a crumbling path. Another casuality of war. Missy's heart fell and she broke the telepathic link with a gasp.

"You never saw her body." The Doctor said gently, his facing showing his confusion. "Doesn't stop me from picturing it." Missy snapped in reply. "Why are you angry with me, Missy?" The Doctor frowned. Whilst they had been reliving bad memories, it had felt therapeutic to share them with each other. "Shut up." Missy growled, yanking at the cuffs around her wrists. "Stop hurting yourself." The Doctor said gently. Missy scrunched her eyes up and screamed, a pained and heartbroken scream. "Kos..." the Doctor whispered, wishing he could hold her. Missy took a deep breath and composed herself. "Wanna play I Spy?" She smiled forcefully. The Doctor, well aware of how her coping mechanisms worked, nodded slowly. "Only because there's nothing else to do. It's a terrible game." He said grumpily, knowing that it would cheer Missy up to direct their attention on to something else. She shrugged and grinned. "I spy, with my little eye..."


	19. chapter 19

And Clara is back. Thanks for reading, as always! - W

 _I look ridiculous._ Clara thought as she wrapped the bandage around her head wound. The bandage was unflattering at best, wound in such a strange place that it caused her hair to stick out. It also appeared harsh in contrast as the bright white clashed against her dark brown hair. Clara reprimanded herself. _The Doctor and Missy are in danger, and I'm worrying about my appearance?_ She thought, feeling ashamed. Blood began to seep through the bandages slowly, however the wound no longer hurt as Clara had taken painkillers.

After Clara bandaged her head wound, she realised she had no plan. She wanted to ask the TARDIS for help, but knew that the old cow didn't like her particularly, and Clara also didn't have the faintest idea of how to communicate with her. "Shit." She muttered, realising the gravity of their situation. She knew that the Doctor and Missy were both geniuses, however she also knew that they were now among their own race - who unfortunately were also of high intelligence.

Clara ran to the TARDIS console and frowned at the seemingly random array of buttons and levers. The TARDIS, meanwhile, was still smoking slightly and humming as it repaired itself. Clara pushed several random buttons, to no avail. "I don't know what to do!" She shouted in frustration to no one in particular, slamming her hands down on the console. Suddenly the TARDIS groaned and creaked, annoyed to have been disturbed. "Can you... hear me?" Clara said aloud. Her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. _Of course it can't._ She thought. She placed her head in her hands, feeling utterly useless.

Suddenly the TARDIS whirred, and the monitor flashed. Clara dashed to see the image that appeared, hoping it was some kind of message from the TARDIS. Instead of text, there was a set of three images. The first was of the Citadel of Gallifrey, the second of an umbrella, and the third of a strange device Clara remembered seeing on a shelf in the TARDIS somewhere. _What does this mean?_ Clara thought with a frown.

dwdwdw

Missy and the Doctor had eventually given up on I Spy, as the Doctor had grown so frustrated with Missy's cheating that he gave up. Or, in his words, simply 'resigned' from the game, as apparently those were two very different things. As much as the two tried to make light of their situation, as the minutes passed they both grew more and more agitated.

Missy did nothing to give away her panic, however her stress levels were so high that the Doctor could feel it telepathically, stress coming off her in waves. The Doctor had no idea of how to help her, however. They had already tried distraction, and he could tell she was unlikely to want to discuss her problems. She was also rarely the type to want to cry it out, particularly in front of others. The Doctor was saved from having to decide what to do however, as they both heard approaching footsteps.

The door slid open with a slight whooshing sound, and the Doctor internally sighed. _That's probably a touch specific locked door._ He spoke telepathically to Missy. _I know. I remember them from our days in the academy. Remember when-_ Missy began replying, only to be cut off as the timelord who entered began speaking aloud. "Rassilon has requested to see you. He is particularly excited about the bonus prisoner." The timelord smirked, a sly and disgusting smirk that Missy wanted to slap right off of his face. "Why does Rassilon want to see us? Why have we been brought here?" The Doctor asked frustratedly. The timelord chuckled. "You will see." He replied ominously.

dwdwdw

Back on the TARDIS, Clara was trying to piece together the photos the TARDIS had shown her. "Do I need to go here?" She muttered aloud, looking at the picture of the Citadel. She turned to the photo of the generic umbrella. _Black, old fashioned umbrella._ She added, narrowing her eyes as she had a thought. "Oh!" She shouted. "Missy's umbrella!" She smiled. She ran to Missy's room and tried to ignore the feeling of intruding on Missy's space.

The umbrella didn't seem to be in plain sight, however Clara found it unlikely that Missy had the time to take it with her or conceal it from the timelords if she had. Turning to the cupboard in the corner of the room, she opened it and began looking through. She winced at the image of Missy giving her death threats once she found out that Clara had rifled through her belongings, yet knew she had to continue. Inside the cupboard were many dresses and items of old fashioned clothing that Clara had never even considered wearing before, as well as an array of hats, however no umbrella. Clara cursed, turning to a box nearby and opening it up.

The box held a multitude of things and was packed to the brim, some seemingly useless and some that she recognised. Missy's brooch lay inside, and Clara smiled as she pictured the Doctor picking it out for Missy. _What a strange image._ She thought. An extraordinarily old appearing book sat nearby the brooch, and Clara frowned as she realised it was all in Gallifreyan. "Not going to be reading that one, then." She muttered.

She pulled out several more books and letters, before coming across a large folder. Inside was a large amount of sheet music, seemingly for piano. Clara smiled slightly. She hadn't picture Missy playing an instrument before. A grin formed on Clara's face as she pushed the folder aside - as well as a large scarf - to find the umbrella. "Found it!" She announced to no one in particular. _What now though?_ She wondered.


	20. chapter 20

Missy and the Doctor followed the timelords reluctantly, their hands still cuffed behind their backs. The Doctor had at some point realised that he had been so caught up in trying to help Missy that he hadn't realised his own panic about the situation, however he chose to ignore it. _I need to be there for Missy._ He decided, pushing away any stress in his mind. Missy growled at a timelord as he pushed her forward.

"I'll kill you." She sneered. The timelord attempted to ignore her, however both Missy and the Doctor could sense his anxiety. _He seems new._ The Doctor noted to Missy, taking in the timelord's nervous appearance and perfectly fresh uniform. Missy smiled a dark and terrifying smile that the Doctor was glad was not directed at him. "I'll kill you. You won't live to see tomorrow. You'll die slowly and painfully." Missy growled to the young timelord. _Missy..._ the Doctor said disapprovingly. The young timelord looked to the more experienced timelord for assistance, who approached Missy. "Shut up." He snapped, hitting her in the face with the butt of his gun.

Missy spat out a mouthful of blood and grinned, her mouth stained red. "Whatever you say." She said in a low, teasing voice. The timelords ignored her, and continued pushing their prisoners along the corridor.

Eventually they came to a large door, where the timelord guards stopped. The older guard pressed his hand to the door, causing it to slide open. The Doctor frowned at the room in front of them. It was large yet empty, only containing high up barred windows such as the ones in their cell, and a desk with a chair. Sitting at the desk was the person Missy and the Doctor least wanted to see.

"Rassilon." The Doctor said quietly, making their presence known. Rassilon looked up and his eyes widened. "Oh, you have done well, Letan. You really did bring both of them!" He exclaimed, gesturing to the older guard supposedly named Letan. Rassilon walked towards Missy and the Doctor. "Master. Doctor. Welcome home." He said with a smirk.

"It's Mistress." Missy spat. Rassilon shrugged. "I suppose you want to know why you're here." He replied. "Why you hijacked and stole my TARDIS, yes." The Doctor said angrily. Rassilon chuckled darkly. "You must think you're a hero on Gallifrey now, Doctor." He said. The Doctor didn't reply, but looked to Missy. Missy had her eyes shut and was whispering to herself. "Unfortunately for you, times change." Rassilon said, moving closer to Missy to examine her new regeneration. "New laws have been implemented on Gallifrey while you were both gone. The old government wouldn't allow me to carry them out, but let's just say we... had a change in government. The new government and I decided it was in everyone's best interests to restore Gallifrey to it's former glory and proud image, a feat only possible once you eliminate the source of the problems. You two, happened to be two rather large sources that need to be... eliminated." Rassilon continued. He reached out and touched Missy's cheek, causing Missy's eyes to snap open. Her face contorted in disgust, and she bit his hand hard, causing it to bleed. Rassilon cursed and pulled away.

The Doctor hid his smile, a surge of pride for Missy hitting him. "Why not just kill us then?" Missy snapped. "Oh, surely you know the answer to that, Mistress. Because that wouldn't be fun." Rassilon grinned evilly. The Doctor met eyes with Missy, her eyes displaying the fear they both felt, only for a second. The moment Rassilon caught her eye again, the fear was gone. "You killed the old government." The Doctor stated. Rassilon seemed pleased to hear it said out loud. "Collateral damage in a long journey to restore the timelords to the once glorious and revered race they were." He shrugged. "Nobody's life is simply collateral damage." The Doctor growled. Rassilon sighed.

"You think yourself such a hero, Doctor. Never settling for anything less than everybody living. Sometimes, people die. Sometimes, there is collateral damage." He said. Missy frowned slightly as she almost felt herself agreeing. "That was not collateral damage. That was murder." The Doctor replied angrily. Rassilon ignored him. "You deserve punishment for crimes committed against Gallifrey and many other planets, a list far too long to even begin. Crimes that have dragged our title of Timelords through the dirt." Rassilon stated to the Doctor. He turned to Missy. "And you, well... do I even need to explain it to you?" Rassilon said. Missy raised her chin, attempting to assert her dominance. "You haven't said much. Letting the Doctor speak for you now, hm? Or are you just his pet?" Rassilon mocked. Missy lashed out at him, and was pulled back by a guard. "I am no one's pet, and no one speaks for me. I simply have nothing to say to you." Missy snarled. Rassilon shrugged. "We will see about that." He said. He gestured to the guards. "Take them back to their cell."

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Clara had begun feeling as if she was getting nowhere with the three image clues, until she had a moment of realisation while examining Missy's umbrella. She ran to get the device shown in the third image that she remembered being on a shelf nearby. "Gotcha!" She smiled, pulling it down and examining it. It was a small metal device with a blank screen on the front, several buttons, as well as a clip on the back. She jogged back to the console room and placed the device beside the umbrella.

Her realisation had been that Missy's umbrella was sonic, and that somehow, using the umbrella on the device could do something useful. _Please work._ Clara thought desperately, pointing the tip of the umbrella towards the device. The device's screen flashed and displayed a radar symbol, facing Clara. "Is this... is it scanning?" Clara wondered aloud. The TARDIS seemed to hum in agreement. "What's it scanning for? Sound? Life?" She continued. She watched as the screen displayed the text 'human'. "Does it scan for species?" Clara realised. The TARDIS whirred happily, as if it congratulate her. _So if I were to use this..._ she thought, pointing the umbrella to the device once more.

Suddenly the radar flipped, facing away from Clara. _Have I reversed it?_ Clara wondered. The screen flashed and a scrolling list of what seemed to be different species appeared. She tapped on 'timelord' as it passed, it being one of the few names she knew. The same screen that had shown 'human' moments ago, now showed 'timelord' instead. "Is it scanning for timelords now?" She asked with a confused frown. The TARDIS groaned. "Well, it's not my fault I can't understand you, you old cow!" She snapped. She sighed and shut her eyes, worrying about the Doctor and Missy.

She snapped her eyes back open as a thought hit her. She looked at the radar facing away from her, and smiled slightly. "It's transmitting now, isn't it? I reversed it, so it's no longer taking in information, but sending it out!" She exclaimed. The TARDIS whirred in excitement, seemingly happy that the human had finally solved it. "So if they try and find out what species I am... this will tell them... I'm a timelord?" The TARDIS whirred once more, and Clara grinned happily. _How does it work?_ She thought to herself. She noticed the clip on the back of the device and pinned it on to the front of her shirt, before zipping her jacket up over the top to cover it. _I don't have to fully understand it, I suppose. As long as it works._

Clara grabbed the sonic umbrella, and turned to face the console of the TARDIS before leaving. "You're not so bad, you know." She said with a smile. The TARDIS hummed, and Clara ventured out towards the Citadel.


	21. chapter 21

A/N: Thank you for all of your continued support! I appreciate it so much! And to the Guest who reviewed - I definitely agree that Rassilon would hate the Doctor more, and I plan on exploring that in the coming chapters :) - W

At some point during the unknown length of time they had been stuck in their cell, the Doctor had had to shut the mental link between himself and Missy temporarily. "What are you doing?" Missy asked. The Doctor chuckled slightly.

"You were just repeating the same words. I needed a break." He replied. Missy rolled her eyes, and the Doctor was pleased to see she was still in relatively good spirits.

"What, I was being too vulgar for you? Swearing too much?" She said sarcastically. The Doctor smiled slightly and nodded.

"Essentially, honestly. It gets tiring after a while when I can't think because all you're thinking about is Rassilon's future death and swearing." He said. Missy nodded in understanding.

"I'm just so angry." She admitted. The tone of the conversation had changed to a calm discussion rather than a sarcastic bicker.

"Me too, Kos. But there are other ways to get anger out other than filling your mind with swear words." The Doctor said gently. Missy chuckled.

"You really have hit old age, haven't you?" She teased. The Doctor smiled.

"You're not getting any younger yourself, Missy." He replied. Missy, had her wrists not been cuffed, would have reached out and playfully slapped him. However, in their circumstances, she could only raise a threatening eyebrow and smirk at his remark.

"Are you cold?" The Doctor asked after several minutes of silence passed. Missy had been shivering, but he had noticed it was a strange sort of shiver where every now and then she would twitch as if she was trying desperately to surpress it. Missy looked up.

"Does it matter?" She asked. Her voice had dropped to an emotionless tone. The Doctor sighed.

"Oh Kos, we'll be alright." He said gently. Missy rolled her eyes.

"Ever the pointless optimist, aren't you Theta?" She replied. The Doctor frowned.

"If you want to sulk, then suit yourself. Just don't take it out on me." He snapped. Missy shook her head to shake off the conversation.

An hour or so passed before they spoke again. "This is happening to me too. This is hard for me too." The Doctor whispered. Missy mumbled something unintelligible. "What?" He asked.

"I... I said... I said I'm sorry. This is hard for you too." She muttered. The Doctor hid his surprise and held back his teasing remarks, knowing Missy would be frustrated if he said the wrong thing.

"Thank you." He replied quietly. Missy nodded.

"We'll be alright, Thete." Missy whispered, echoing the Doctor's earlier comforting mutters. The Doctor shared a small smile with her, however both noticed a worried expression in each other's eyes. Both realised neither wanted to admit that they didn't know whether it actually would be alright.

dwdwdw

Clara was exhausted by the time she reached the Citadel, it had been far further from the TARDIS than she anticipated. A wave of awe washed over her as she gazed at the beautiful surroundings of Gallifrey, and she stopped to take it in. A thought entered her mind as she examined the people walking by. _Regardless of scans, they'll be able to tell something's up just by my clothes._ She thought, noticing that everyone walking by wore much more old fashioned robes and clothing than Clara's modern outfit.

She looked to the buildings nearby. Without money and without an explanation for her current clothing, it wouldn't be possible to buy new clothing - she was going to have to steal. She noticed a group of houses nearby and sighed. _I never thought I'd be wondering how to break into someone's home._ She thought with guilt. People walking by were beginning to give her strange looks, and she knew she had to act fast.

Suddenly, a woman left a nearby home and the door seemed to lock behind her. _Here's my chance, I suppose. You don't lock the door behind you if someone's still inside, do you?_ She kept a straight face as she approached the door, however inside she was both filled with nerves, and praying that her assumption had been right. The door of the house was in a side street, and thankfully for Clara nobody hung around there, except a couple kids playing nearby who abandoned their game as soon as the strange looking woman came too close.

Clara stood at the door and, as soon as no one was around, lifted Missy's umbrella to the door and prayed it would work. To her astonishment, the door swung open and Clara hurriedly rushed inside, shutting it behind her. She decided it safe to sneak around regardless of whether she thought people were or weren't home, just in case. The home was two storeys, and Clara assumed that the layout would be similar to her grandparents old home - with the bedrooms upstairs. She slowly climbed the stairs, and pushed the nearest door open.

She heaved a sigh of relief to note that both no one was in the room, and that an outfit lay crumpled on the floor nearby. She reached for it and held it up against her body. _Slightly too big, but it'll do._ She decided. She pulled the robes over her head, and smiled as she examined herself in the mirror. "A very believable timelord, if I don't say so myself. Or timelady, I mean." She muttered to herself. Suddenly, she felt her heart drop in her chest as a young voice sounded from behind her.

"What are you doing in my house? Who are you?" The voice spoke. Clara slowly turned around to see what appeared to be (by human standards) a teenage boy. He held up a dagger and bit his lip nervously.

"I... I'm not going to hurt you." She stuttered in reply. She noticed the fear in his eyes, and felt guilty. "I promise. I just needed clothes. I didn't have any and I needed them to go save my friends." She added. She mentally facepalmed. _Believable story, Clara._

"What's happened to them?" The boy asked, lowering his dagger slightly. _Thank god for overly trusting children_. Clara thought.

"They were taken. I don't know by who, I was unconscious. They're in danger." She explained. The boy looked around nervously, as if contemplating his next actions.

"You only need those?" He asked, gesturing to the clothes she wore. Clara nodded and smiled gently.

"Honestly, all I needed were these robes, and now I'll be out of here straight away. I'm sorry for scaring you." She replied. The boy put down the dagger.

"Okay, but you better not come back here again. If my father caught you, you'd be dead." He said quietly. Clara nodded.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She smiled. The boy nodded, clearly still nervous, and stepped out of the way so that she could leave. Clara picked up Missy's umbrella and left, turning to smile at the boy one last time before shutting the door behind her.


	22. chapter 22

The silence of the cell became deafening after what felt like days of neither timelord speaking. The Doctor felt as if he was suffocating within the silence, and if he was struggling, he was shocked that Missy was still lucid. Silence had never been her friend. Even as children, Koschei had been afraid of silence. He had seen it how other children saw the dark, as a thing where evil would spawn, a symbol for an end, a frightening fear that lived within the back of his mind every night as he trembled in his bed.

With age only brought insanity for the Master, and only intensified his hatred and fear for silence. He begun listening to music (very) loudly at any opportunity, such as on the Valiant when he held the Doctor, Jack and the Jones family captive. The first time the Doctor saw the Master after he became Missy - and realised it was really her - he sensed that it had only grown worse. That was why she had picked up playing musical instruments herself, such as the piano. It distracted her from the silence.

That was why the Doctor was so surprised to see Missy sitting so calmly in the silence of their cell, and why it unnerved him. "Missy?" He whispered eventually. She looked up slowly.

"Doctor." She replied. She sounded as if mentally, she was not with him.

"How are you so... okay?" He asked carefully. Missy frowned.

"How... how am I... what did you say?" She asked slowly. The Doctor frowned in worry and inched as close to her as the cuffs around his wrists would allow.

"Koschei? Are you okay?" He said gently. Missy shut her eyes and began humming to herself, as well as drumming out a four-beat pattern with her fingernails against the cold floor. _The drums._ The Doctor realised. Before he could speak to her again, the door to their cell slid open.

"Rassilon has decided he would prefer you two to remain separate." The older timelord guard - that the Doctor remembered from earlier being named Letan - said. He approached the Doctor and held up his weapon towards Missy in warning. "Don't try anything, Doctor, or I'll shoot her." He said dangerously. The Doctor let out a frustrated sigh and nodded sharply.

"Don't hurt her. Do you hear me? Don't you dare." He warned as the guard roughly pulled him out by his cuffed wrists and dragged him towards the door. Letan scoffed.

"I don't take orders from you." He sneered, before hitting the Doctor hard with the butt of his gun. The sound of the Doctor groaning in pain caused Missy to suddenly snap out of her trance.

"Where are you taking him?" She said immediately. She began to pull on her cuffs in an attempt to reach them. "Where are you going?" The Doctor sensed her rising panic and tried to calm her.

 _They're only taking me to another cell. It's okay Kos_. He said telepathically. Missy shook her head and yanked hard against the cuffs.

"If you do anything I don't like, I'll break your neck." She growled. Letan chuckled darkly and threw the Doctor out the door, before blowing Missy a kiss goodbye and shutting the door. Missy screeched as the door slammed shut, and she fell back against the wall in frustration.

dwdwdw

Had the Doctor and Missy not been kidnapped by their own kind, Clara may have actually enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the Citadel of Gallifrey. They had been kidnapped, however, and Clara could feel her heart beating fast in her chest as she searched for any sort of clue to their location. In all the excitement of figuring out the TARDIS' hints, she hadn't considered how she was actually going to find the lost timelords.

Eventually, she realised her only chance was to ask a passerby. She decided she couldn't simply ask a random person "Have you seen my old pals the Doctor and the Master?", and knew instead that she would have to strike up casual conversation. She spotted a group of women chatting beside what appeared to be a fruit stall, and approached them casually.

 _Approach them like you approach the school mums at parent teacher interviews, Clara. With casual, false friendliness._ Clara thought to herself, noting the how wealthy the women seemed to be. She pretended to be interested in a basket of strange looking fruit, while subtly edging closer. She purposefully bumped into the woman closest to her, and dropped the fruit she had been examining.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Clara exclaimed in what she hoped was a convincingly truthful tone.

"No, don't be silly, dear. No harm done." The woman replied. She bent down and picked up the fruit Clara dropped, and handed it back to her. "What's your name, dear?" The woman asked.

 _Think, Clara, think._ Clara thought, wondering what a regular name on Gallifrey was."Koschei." She said, blurting out the first name that came to mind. The women looked to each other with a strange expression, and Clara was worried they had recognised the name. Then, she suddenly realised that Missy had started life as a boy - and understood their strange looks.

"My parents are quite... progressive." She added with a smile. The women nodded and smiled in return.

"I've never seen you around the Citadel. Do you live far?" One of the women asked casually. Clara gulped as she attempted the think of a convincing back story.

"I... my family and I are from the Citadel, but we moved to another planet nearby... a while ago." Clara paused, gauging whether the women were with her so far. She wasn't entirely sure what a normal length of time to refer to for time lords was.

The women nodded as if it made sense, however, and Clara quietly sighed in relief. "I imagine much has changed since you were here last, hm?" The woman she had originally bumped in to asked. Clara chuckled artificially.

"It sure has." She laughed. The women shared a glance with each other and shrugged.

"We'd be happy to brief you, if you'd like. Show you around to see everything new." They offered. Clara's heart leapt at the opportunity, finally feeling as if she had caught a break in finding the Doctor and Missy.

"You don't know how much that would help, honestly." She exclaimed cheerfully.


	23. chapter 23

A/N: Hi all! Thanks for the continued support. I've been having major writer's block as of lately so I'm sorry for the lack of updates. Hopefully it should improve now.

While the women leading Clara around the Citadel were snobby and clearly high-class, they were also surprisingly kind. They had spent nearly an hour of their time helping Clara - a total stranger - adapt to the new ways of Gallifrey, and at the same time unknowingly helped Clara in finding the Doctor and Missy.

"And that's the academy, although I'm sure you'd recognise that. It's had a few renovations, but nothing major has changed." One of the women spoke, breaking Clara from her thoughts. Clara nodded with a smile, hoping she looked like she had listened. She tried to imagine the Doctor as a small child, roaming the streets possibly accompanied by a child version of Missy. The image was not only strange, but hard to conjure.

"So... is that all, dear?" The woman asked. The group came to a stop and looked to Clara expectedly.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could answer a question for me." Clara replied. The women smiled and nodded. "I was wondering whether..." Clara began. She paused as a thought entered her mind. _Do they have kings or queens here? Emperors? Prime ministers?_ "I was wondering whether the President is the same person, or has been replaced?" She finished, deciding president was a universal word that hopefully would sound correct. She hoped that her question would help her locate those in charge, or maybe the missing timelords.

"Oh, no, no changes there. Rassilon is still the President. Although... there were some changes in government." One of the women replied. Another looked at her with a warning glare as she mentioned it.

"Really? How come?" Clara asked. _Rassilon. I need to find him._

"Oh, it isn't very... proper to discuss it." The woman replied nervously. She met eyes with Clara, and sighed. "But, I suppose you'll hear sooner or later." She said. She took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Not too long ago, the government was suddenly replaced, with no explanation. Rassilon didn't say a word, although shortly after... rumours began to spread." She explained. Clara's eyes widened in interest.

"Rumours?"

"...yes. Rumours that, supposedly, Rassilon may have... disposed of the government himself." The woman whispered. The other women looked around nervously.

"People are saying he may have gone mad with power. Everything has gotten... quite strict, since then." Another woman added in a hushed voice. Clara nodded.

"That's awful." She replied. The women nodded in response.

"Well, we should be off, dear. It was lovely meeting you." One of the women spoke. Clara smiled.

"And you, and thanks again!" She grinned. Just before they walked out of ear shot, Clara called after them. "Wait! Can I ask you one more thing?" The women chuckled, and nodded. "Where could I find the government? And Rassilon, you know? Is it all still where it used to be?" Clara asked, attempting to sound subtle but knowing she was beginning to sound rather suspicious.

The women looked to one another, before replying. "The council building, same as before. The huge building at the end of next street over from here. Do you remember?" Clara nodded.

"Well, thank you again!" She smiled, starting to walk towards the street they had gestured to.

"Oh, and Koschei?" One of the women called. It took Clara a moment to turn back, forgetting the fake name she had given them. "Try not to get into any trouble, dear." They warned.

"I'll try."

dwdwdw

After he had been thrown into a seperate cell, the Doctor began to search the room for any way to escape. He knew it was likely a pointless search, as these were timelords they were dealing with. Timelords who knew the Doctor and Missy well enough to plan against their escape. Still, the Doctor tried. Ever the optimist.

"Give me something, come on..." he whispered, moving his gaze across the wall. The wall was smooth and didn't seem to have any breaks or holes he could use to his advantage, as was the same as the floor and ceiling. He frowned and leaned his head back against the wall.

 _Missy?_ He whispered telepathically, hoping that Missy would hear. He knew that Rassilon would have taken precautions against telepathic communication through some sort of dampening field, but Missy had always had a heightened talent for telepathy.

 _Doc-tor... dampen- field..._ After a short silence, Missy's voice came stuttering into the Doctor's mind telepathically. The Doctor attempted to respond, but knew it was unlikely Missy could hear him well enough. He had never been as good at telepathy as her.

 _Thet- Cla- Clara..._ Missy's voice sounded one more. The Doctor frowned. _Clara? What about her? Is she okay?_ He said worriedly. When no response came, he narrowed his eyes in thought. Why would Missy have mentioned Clara?

dwdwdw

Missy shut her eyes and focussed on her surroundings. Unlike the Doctor, she decided she was not going to bumbling into an escape plan. Strategy and focus had to be involved.

She noticed the blurry mental field blocking her mind from speaking to the Doctor. She swore loudly, and yanked at her cuffs in anger. _Doctor, there's a bloody dampening field._ Missy tried to say telepathically. Suddenly a mind brushed against hers, as if it was loud and nearby. Missy squeezed her eyes shut and lay her head against the wall in an attempt to discover more.

The mind seemed young, but not too young. Definitely not a child. Missy winced as the dampening field retaliated against her telepathic reach, pushing her away. The mind seemed to be moving further away, so Missy could only determine one more thing. The mind was lesser than the others she could hear. As if it was... human.

 _Theta!_ Missy whispered, hoping to reach the Doctor. With her heightened telepathy skills and the relatively short distance between them, she estimated that he would at least be able to hear parts of her message. _Theta, I can hear Clara. Clara is nearby. Whatever orders you left for your pet, she clearly didn't follow._


	24. chapter 24

A/N: After a massive writer's block which caused me to temporarily abandon all of my stories, I then went on a several weeks long holiday without internet! So I'm terribly sorry about all of that. I just want to reassure you all that none of my stories have been completely abandoned, and all will be continued! The only point in which they will finish is when I decide they are ready to finish and I will complete them properly and mark them as such - I won't simply leave my stories to gather dust. Even after periods of writer's block like I've experienced recently, I'll hope to always try my best to return to my stories because I love writing, and I love that people love my writing and I don't want to let anyone down. Thank you as always for favouriting, following and reviewing, it all makes me smile and is greatly appreciated. Lots of love - W

While she knew the Doctor would likely disapprove, the only pastime Missy had come up with while captured was calling out death threats whenever she heard movement outside her cell. Not the Doctor's style, but most definitely hers.

Missy sighed as she lay back against the cold wall. She was certain that it had been Clara who she had felt nearby earlier.

"Trust the human to ignore clear instructions." She muttered. A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled their discussion with Rassilon earlier on. "Bastard." She hissed into the moderate darkness of the cell.

Silence was prevalent in the room, with no outside sound except for the rare occasion of quiet footsteps outside the door. Even then, Missy had to strain her ears to hear. The dampening field was strong, but predictably the timelords slightly underestimated her skills, and she could maintain short bursts of limited telepathy at times. However, she still primarily remained in isolating silence. A trick of both clever architecture and cruel timelords that brought back painful memories of the last time she had been captured on Gallifrey.

 _I always was better than you at telepathy - well, at most things - wasn't I Doctor?_ Missy thought mostly to herself. She knew that if she had actually tried to say it to the Doctor telepathically he would most definitely not get the entire sentence, and she didn't feel like straining her mind against the dampening field anyway. Instead, she decided having the conversation with herself was easier and more appropriate.

Missy thought of Clara roaming the streets of Gallifrey alone in some failed attempt to help the Doctor and scoffed. _How you could ever keep a human around at all times I'll never know_. She thought. She imagined the Doctor sitting across the cell from her, listening to her but not speaking. _I had Luc_ y, _I suppose. A useful little thing, she was_. Missy remembered. She frowned suddenly. _Until she bloody shot me._ She smirked slightly as her mind was flooded with memories of her time as prime minister. _Some of my best work, until you ruined it._ Missy glared at the imagined Doctor sitting opposite her.

A vision of herself holding her most recent previous regeneration's face formed beside her. "You've lost your touch." He said with a raised eyebrow. Missy rolled her eyes.

"You can piss off if you're going to be like that." She snapped. He smirked.

"Well, you're still trapped in here, aren't you?" He said. He shook his head in mock disappointment. "I'd be out of here by now and you know it."

"We are one in the same, dear." Missy replied. She looked to where the made-up Doctor had been sitting, only to find him gone.

"Not anymore. You've lost your touch. Gone soft." The Master teased. Missy clenched her jaw.

"I will not be pushed into arguing with a previous regeneration of myself, particularly one who is not real." She snapped. She looked to her side to find the Master gone.

"Am I real?" The Master's voice came from her other side, having reappeared there.

"No."

"Then why do I make you so angry?" A smile slowly began to form on the Master's face as Missy gave no reply. "It's because you know I'm right. You've become what you despised. The Doctor's pet."

Missy lunged forward at her imagined previous self, but just as she predicted he disappeared, reappearing on the other side of the cell. He began laughing loudly.

"There it is. That anger. Insanity." He grinned maniacally. He appeared at Missy's side once more, and stroked her cheek. "Don't lose insanity, my dear. Don't lose anger. It's all that you are." And with that, the Master was gone.

dwdwdw

As The Doctor failed once more to plan an escape, he felt his confidence in his own brilliance wavering. Not knowing whether Clara was alright after Missy had mentioned her name telepathically was breaking his focus.

The sound of footsteps outside his door broke him from his thoughts. Letan, the older timelord guard that had brought them to Rassilon earlier on, opened the cell door accompanied by two other guards who wore masks and robes.

"Doctor! Settling in nicely?" Letan smirked.

"Actually, some tea would be nice. Maybe a comfy chair, some books?" The Doctor replied sarcastically. The two masked guards grabbed one of his arms each and forced him to walk beside them.

"You think you're very funny, don't you Doctor?" Letan said, following the guards holding a large gun.

"Yes, I do." The Doctor said. He examined the masked guards. "Who are you then? The security thugs? The masks aren't enormously flattering, honestly." He continued. The guards remained silent but seemed to adjust their grip to be more painful on his arms. "Where am I off to, then? You could at least answer that." The Doctor said frustratedly.

"They won't answer anything you say, it's part of their contract. You're being transported in order for us to enact the first phase in Rassilon's plan for you and your obnoxious friend. Happy?" Letan replied. The Doctor nodded, satisfied with the information he received, but concerned as to what the 'first phase' entailed.

After walking past what felt like the three hundredth door that they had seen, the Doctor sensed Missy's mind nearby. The dampening field had only been placed around their cells, leaving this to be their only opportunity to communicate. _Missy_. He spoke telepathically, hoping to finally be able to reach her.

 _Doctor. You are going to like this room about as much as I do._ Missy replied. _And how much do you like the room?_ The Doctor asked. Missy seemed to scoff telepathically. _Not much, I'll be honest_.

As the guards brought the Doctor into the room, he saw what Missy meant. Several timelord guards were situated around the room holding weapons, while a set of controls were beside Rassilon who stood in the centre of the room. Nearby the controls were two circular metal plates about two metres from each other, both with a mirrored metal circle on the roof above them. Missy was beside one of the circles being held back by masked guards similar to the ones who held the Doctor.

 _Stasis cells?_ The Doctor said. Missy nodded sharply from across the room. _Not good_. The Doctor added. In a normal situation Missy would have given a sarcastic reply, but none came.

"Ah, Doctor! You've decided to join us." Rassilon said.

"I don't think decision had much to do with it." The Doctor said sarcastically, looking to the masked guards. Rassilon shrugged.

"Guards." He instructed, gesturing to the stasis cells. The guards nodded and brought the Doctor and Missy to stand on the metal plates.

 _We should be out of here by now_. Missy said telepathically. She paused briefly. _Maybe I have lost my touch_. The Doctor met eyes with her and frowned. An unrecognisable expression crossed Missy's face. Whether it was sadness, exhaustion or simple resignation to her fate, the Doctor couldn't tell. Either way, he didn't like it. _You sound like you've given up._ He replied. Missy looked away.

Rassilon turned to Letan and gestured for him to join him at the controls. "On my command." He said. "Three, two..." A button was pressed by the two men, causing a glowing cage-like tube to form around both Missy and the Doctor, stemming from one metal plate the the other.

Missy and the Doctor looked to each other. _See you soon_. Missy said.

"One!" Rassilon shouted, causing Letan and himself to pull a lever each. The glowing fields surrounding the Doctor and Missy began to pull and yank at them excruciatingly, drawing out regenerations and lives they could have lived.

Just before the Doctor fell unconscious, he heard Missy's voice in his mind once more.

 _Theta, she's here. She's here, can't you hear her? Can't you see her?_


	25. chapter 25

A/N: I'm sorry for the lack of updates - in all honesty, I haven't liked the quality of my recent writing and it's halted progress slightly. Thanks for reading as always. - W

When Clara made it to the government building that she had been directed to by her new friends, she found it to be empty, as if everyone had a day off. Her heart sank as she realised the only lead she had in helping the Doctor and Missy was useless. _Like me_. Clara thought miserably.

She began walking without any particular destination in mind, and found herself down a side street. This area of the Citadel seemed to be less full than the area she had been in before. She passed several buildings that seemed completely abandoned.

Suddenly she stopped. Whilst each building was essentially the same, one had caught her eye.

All of the buildings on this street were supposedly empty with open doors, dust, garbage, and broken walls. However, one of them, seemingly in the centre of a completely abandoned area, had a closed door, and a clean entryway.

It was a small detail that could have meant nothing, but it reminded Clara greatly of a book she had read to her English class one day. A group of bandits had been holed up in a bank in a mostly empty western town to escape arrest. The sheriff found them, however, because he realised for an abandoned bank, the entryway looked too used.

Clara approached the doorway, and found it clean of any footprints or fingerprints in the dust. Too clean. _I really hope there aren't just squatters in here, or I'm going to look really stupid._ Clara thought, hesitation and doubt filling her chest.

She tried the sonic umbrella on the door, but found it didn't work. _Back door?_ She wondered. She snuck into the thin alleyway beside the house and found another door. _Side door._ She noted with a smirk. With a try of the umbrella, this door also didn't unlock.

Clara cursed as she found her plans failing once more. Just before she abandoned the idea, she noticed a small window at the bottom of the wall. Small enough to fit a small person such as Clara.

Clara lifted up Missy's umbrella to examine it. _I hope Missy won't mind if I use this for something slightly different to unlocking doors._ Clara thought. She held it in front of the glass window and thrusted the umbrella towards the glass with all of her strength, shattering the window.

Praying she was at the right place, Clara slipped through the window. An alarm seemed to be sounding throughout the building, and loud voices were approaching quickly. _I didn't plan for this part_. She realised, searching the room for a possible hiding spot.

dwdwdw

 _Doctor._

 _Theta._

"Thete!"

The Doctor sat up straight at the sound of Missy's voice. After a short time, his eyes focused to see her sitting in front of him.

"In the land of the living, my dear?" She whispered. Her voice sounded weak and somewhat less sarcastic than usual.

"I think so." The Doctor rasped. His limbs ached enormously, but the worst pain was in his chest.

"We're back in a cell, before you ask." Missy said. The Doctor nodded.

"How come we've been put together?" He asked.

"Rassilon was there when I woke up - we were in the stasis cells still. An alarm went off, and some ridiculously amateur guard was tasked with getting rid of us. Thankfully, he was an idiot, and put me with you." Missy explained. The Doctor nodded.

"How many regenerations did we lose, do you think?" Missy asked after a short pause.

"Too many." The Doctor replied. He winced in pain as his limbs burned. "What was the alarm?" He asked.

"I couldn't hear them well, but some sort of break in, I think. I reckon it was your little pet." Missy replied. The Doctor eyes shot to Missy's.

"Clara? She's alright?" He questioned, his chest feeling slightly less tight knowing that Clara was not dead.

"I felt her mind near mine earlier while I was in my cell. It was human. I'd imagine it's her, unless there was some Earth excursion to Gallifrey today. Besides, who else would break into a building so loudly and uselessly other than a human?" Missy said. She winced in pain and leaned back slightly. "Bloody Rassilon. Arsehole." She hissed through clenched teeth.

"What did you mean earlier?" The Doctor asked suddenly. Missy frowned in confusion. "You said 'she's here'. Who was there? Did you mean Clara?" He continued. Missy looked away sharply.

"It doesn't matter. I was wrong." She replied quietly.

"It clearly does matter, Kos." The Doctor said gently. Missy's lip trembled slightly, but she quickly contained it.

"Later. I'll tell you later." Missy answered after a pause.

"But..."

"Please, Doctor. Later." She insisted. The Doctor nodded in understanding. Please was not a common word when it came to Missy.

"I can't hear any shouting." The Doctor noted after a short pause of silence between the two. Missy hummed.

"She's either dead or very clever." She replied. The Doctor didn't reply, and instead stood to examine the room.

"We need to get out of here." The Doctor announced. Missy sighed.

"We're too old, Doctor." She replied tiredly. The Doctor turned to face her.

"That doesn't sound like you." He said. Missy shrugged. The Doctor crouched down beside her. "Why have you given up?" He asked. Rather than denying it, Missy simply lay back against the wall.

"I've lived a long time, Doctor. I'm tired." She replied. The Doctor frowned.

"You're being ridiculous." He said, an undertone of worry showing in his voice.

"I'm being honest. Factual." Missy sighed. She rolled her eyes at the Doctor's worried expression. "Put your eyebrows away." She said, gesturing to his frown.

"You're not like this usually." The Doctor said. Missy frowned.

"People change." She snapped. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know what to... how to... I'm not me, anymore." Missy said quietly. The Doctor sat beside her against the wall.

"What do you mean?" He asked gently.

"Without anger, without death... I don't know what I am. I don't know how to be otherwise. How to be like you." Missy explained. She took a deep breath.

"I'm not how I used to be, and that was all I knew." She added. She noticed the Master sitting nearby, remaining silent. "I can't help you, Thete. I can't help anyone. I'm sorry."

The Doctor's frown deepened, if such a feat could even be achieved, and he reached out to take her hand softly. "You've changed, you're right. But that doesn't make you any less clever." He said. He smiled slightly.

"I'll always be here to help you. Besides, you're a genius, Kos. I can't get out of here without you. You and me together, like when we were kids." The Doctor continued. Missy smiled softly and nodded.

"If you're sure." She replied. The Doctor nodded. "Have you checked the walls?" She asked. The Doctor smiled.

"Earlier. Not much there, but they're weak. Although, I'm not sure how much I like idea of breaking through by hand." He replied.

"Not very classy." Missy agreed. She stood to examine the fingerprint-locked door. "I could get us out of here if I got Letan's hand." She noted.

"Not an option, Kos." The Doctor replied. Missy pouted, but moved on from the door.

"I wish I had my bloody weapons. Even my umbrella would be handy, although a tad less lethal." Missy sighed. She opened her mouth to speak to the Doctor but stopped suddenly as she noticed something.

"What?" The Doctor asked. Missy shut her eyes to focus.

"My umbrella! I can hear it!" She whispered excitedly. The Doctor frowned in confusion.

"How?" He asked.

"Lost the bloody thing ages ago, so I upgraded it a bit. If it gets too far away from me, it sends out a telepathic signal to yours truly." She explained. "It seems to be close." She added as an afterthought.

"Clara." The Doctor grinned.

"Not as dumb as she looks." Missy smirked. "If I can get my umbrella, we'll be out of here much faster."

"We need to get out of this room first." The Doctor added. Missy bit her lip in thought as she considered a plan.

Suddenly, the Doctor grinned. "I have an idea." He said. Missy feigned a surprised expression, to which the Doctor raised an eyebrow. Missy rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright. I may have an idea too." She smirked.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" The Doctor smiled. Missy rolled her eyes once more.

"Unlikely. My ideas are generally much more sophisticated."


End file.
